The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time - Elliott Kalb [120]
Specter also met with Walsh and continued his public cry for an independent investigation. On May 15, 2008, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, remarked that “with the war in Iraq raging on, gasoline prices closing in on $4 a gallon, and Americans losing their homes at record rates to foreclosure, the United States Senate should be focusing on the real problems that Americans are struggling with.” This sentiment was echoed by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as by certain members of the media who suggested that Specter’s interest in the matter stemmed from the Patriots having an 8-1 record against his home state’s teams in the Spygate era, including victories over both teams in the 2004 postseason.
After that, there was little Specter could do to push the issue. In a June 16, 2008, interview with the Philadelphia Daily News he said that he “had gone as far as [he] could” with the matter, and would not pursue a senate hearing.
EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A CONSPIRACY
Certain aspects of the Spygate controversy cannot be debated. First and foremost is the incontrovertible fact that the Patriots did cheat, and that they were caught in the act.
The rule states:
Any use by any club at any time, from the start to the finish of any game in which such club is a participant, of any communications or information-gathering equipment, other than Polaroid-type cameras or field telephones, shall be prohibited, including without limitation videotape machines, telephone tapping, or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game.
Belichick went on record to say that he didn’t flout the rule, but instead only misinterpreted it, assuming that it only applied to the use of film in the same game in which it was collected. But I don’t see much room for misinterpretation here. The fact of the matter is that Belichick likely knew exactly what he was doing, and if it wasn’t useful to him (or integral to his team’s success) he wouldn’t have been doing it since 2000 (and quite possibly before). So let’s consider that part of the conspiracy theory a closed case.
What’s more interesting to me is the league’s role in this madness, as well as, potentially, the officials’. Like Specter, I don’t quite understand why Goodell would have the material destroyed unless he feared the repercussions of a potential leak.
If the Patriots used illegally gathered knowledge of opponents’ defensive signals and also received help from the referees (a convincing YouTube video reveals that two weeks after the absurdity of the “Tuck Rule Game,” the Patriots benefited from 150 yards of uncalled penalties in Super Bowl XXXVI) to establish and sustain their dynasty, then perhaps the league destroyed the materials to protect its legacy and to maintain the trust of their broadcast partners, corporate sponsors, and the American public (gamblers included).
EVIDENCE AGAINST A CONSPIRACY
Not surprisingly, the exceedingly tight-lipped Belichick didn’t comment at all on the Spygate allegations until two weeks after his Patriots had lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. And when he finally spoke, he did little more than deny and deflect.
“My interpretation was that you can’t utilize anything to assist you during that game,” Belichick said. “What our camera guys do is clearly not allowed to be used during the game and has never been used during that game that it was shot. I respect the integrity of the game and always have and always will. I regret that any of this . . . has in any way brought that