If Pats cheated in SB XXXVI: 1 year suspension for Belichick

[methomps]

Didn't hear it myself, but Profootballtalk.com reports this:

ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reports that, if it turns out that former Patriots employee Matt Walsh has in possession video of the Rams' final walk-through practice from Super Bowl XXXVI, New England head coach Bill Belichick will be suspended.
​

For a year.​

 

[jlb1705]

In addition to...?

If this stuff turns out to be true, simply suspending the coach for a year is a relative slap on the wrist for cheating that would have arguably altered the landscape of the NFL for at least this decade (if not more, considering that more than one franchise has hired coaches that will have an impact for years to come, who made their names as members of that coaching staff.) The fruits of the Patriots winning ways are greater than the three Lombardi trophies they collected. It's created a culture where good, team-changing players are willing to play for less money than they would demand from other franchises. It creates a culture where they can steal away a player like Randy Moss because their team is the only one he won't totally dog it most of the time for. If it's true that they cheated to win a championship, then they should be busted down SMU-style. I know there's no way that would ever happen - there's too much money at stake. That's what they'd deserve though.

 

[OCBucksFan]

It's created a culture where good, team-changing players are willing to play for less money than they would demand from other franchises. It creates a culture where they can steal away a player like Randy Moss because their team is the only one he won't totally dog it most of the time for.

Players will do a lot to win a championship, I agree it sucks to see players who wanted 9+ million a year at other franchises go to the Pats for 1/4th of that, but it won't really change unless the Pats get knocked down. They are the Yankees of football, you go there when you have made enough money in hopes to win a championship to seal your legacy in the game.

And if they get knocked down, the next team to rise will get players doing the same, there's no way to enforce a players salary, then you have the league saying what a player is and isn't worth, suddenly he can't go play anywhere because of cap space or problems with other players.

Like it or not, the Pats are hot right now and as long as they are in the running every year then someone is going to try and play for them. They have no problems with mercenaries, this isn't the Colts who try to draft and build from within, this is the Patriots, they are concerned with one thing: Winning championships, and they will do what it takes to accomplish that.

I do agree, a year suspension is bullshit though, he will be on the phone with his assistants every night, Kraft will find a way to basically pay him without him being on the payroll and it will all be talk, nothing more.

 

[BuckeyeSoldier]

I vote we just disband the team and execute the quarterback.

 

[Jake]

One year suspension?

The "punishment" meted out earlier this year seemed trivial. The fine was pennies in NFL standards and New England still has a top ten pick in this April's draft.

If this has been going on for 7 years then it's a pattern of behavior that undermines the game. We can't rewrite history but we can damn sure prevent Belichik from ever doing it again.

If these latest allegations prove true, BAN him for LIFE.

 

[powerlifter]

One year suspension?

The "punishment" meted out earlier this year seemed trivial. The fine was pennies in NFL standards and New England still has a top ten pick in this April's draft.

If this has been going on for 7 years then it's a pattern of behavior that undermines the game. We can't rewrite history but we can damn sure prevent Belichik from ever doing it again.

If these latest allegations prove true, BAN him for LIFE.

If they are...ban him for life..Agreed...If not bow to him,because he still will be winning super bowls..Regardless of how bad anyone hates the pats..It really doesnt matter how bad you hate them...

 

[billmac91]

One year suspension?

The "punishment" meted out earlier this year seemed trivial. The fine was pennies in NFL standards and New England still has a top ten pick in this April's draft.

If this has been going on for 7 years then it's a pattern of behavior that undermines the game. We can't rewrite history but we can damn sure prevent Belichik from ever doing it again.

If these latest allegations prove true, BAN him for LIFE.

that's a bit extreme IMO....if anything, the NFL should be embarrassed they didn't seek out Matt Walsh during the investigation of Spygate I.

 

[Muck]

I vote we just disband the team and execute the quarterback.

It would make for a exciting half time show at next year's SB!

 

[OCBucksFan]

If they are...ban him for life..Agreed...If not bow to him,because he still will be winning super bowls..Regardless of how bad anyone hates the pats..It really doesnt matter how bad you hate them...

Kraft has a good setup right now, he's got a quarterback that doesn't make a lot of mistakes, a coach who is a tool to the rest of the world and a hero in Boston, enough great players on offense to put up points and a defense that's just now starting to age.

That being said, they aren't going to ban him for life, it won't happen unless there's something extreme, like Pete Rose, and that's not going to happen. He may get a year suspension but all that will do is make him come back pissed off and go back to beating teams by 40, not shaking coaches hands, and asking "who's that?" when a player tries to talk trash.

So, don't worry, your bandwagon is secure for now PL, you can be all over the Pats and Bradys jock for a few more years until the salary nightmares they are going to build catch up with them.

 

[jlb1705]

Players will do a lot to win a championship, I agree it sucks to see players who wanted 9+ million a year at other franchises go to the Pats for 1/4th of that, but it won't really change unless the Pats get knocked down. They are the Yankees of football, you go there when you have made enough money in hopes to win a championship to seal your legacy in the game.

And if they get knocked down, the next team to rise will get players doing the same, there's no way to enforce a players salary, then you have the league saying what a player is and isn't worth, suddenly he can't go play anywhere because of cap space or problems with other players.

Like it or not, the Pats are hot right now and as long as they are in the running every year then someone is going to try and play for them. They have no problems with mercenaries, this isn't the Colts who try to draft and build from within, this is the Patriots, they are concerned with one thing: Winning championships, and they will do what it takes to accomplish that.

I do agree, a year suspension is bullshit though, he will be on the phone with his assistants every night, Kraft will find a way to basically pay him without him being on the payroll and it will all be talk, nothing more.

I have no problem with players seeking less money to win championships. Every team should strive to create the kind of winning culture that the Pats have. The key is legitimacy. If the Pats did it through cheating, then that cheating has in my opinion perceptibly altered the landscape of the entire league, and that should be taken into consideration when dealing with this, if it turns out to be true.

 

[NastyDogg72]

If any of these newest allegations prove to be true it sure makes for a difficult start to Goodell's tenure as Commisioner. This will undoubtebly become the largest scandal to hit the League and his decisions will shape his tenure for better or worse. It begs questioning if Tags had any indication that anything was wrong in Patriots camp and he got out of dodge. After all he handled the steroid, minority coaching, past player benefits and CBA situations during his time. I'm sure another controversary, especially one involving the league's current top dog, wasn't on his to do list.

As much as I like many others dislike the Patriots, I hope judgement is reserved until some more concrete evidence shows it's face. The NFL is enjoying unprecidented prosperity right now and a story like this involving a team like NE only hurts the entire league. For the wrong reasons it looks as though this could be a very eventful off-season. With the prevailing dislike for BB it is very unlikely that if someone had incriminating evidence against him that it won't see the light of day.

I am torn, but even though I have no love lost for BB and NE I don't want to see these allegations of cheating come to fruition. Nothing good for the NFL can come of NE's guilt. And it will damage all of the teams we love, no matter who that may be.

 

[daveeb]

A year? Wow. That would be incredibly interesting. Even though they went 17-1 without taping, it would still continue to hurt their image.

 

[Bucklion]

I think the NFL wants nothing to do with having to suspend Bellichick...not because anyone likes him, almost everyone wouldn't waste the good urine to piss on him if he was on fire, but he can't be the only coach utilizing these types of tactics, and the NFL doesn't want A) a widespread scandal, or more importantly B) one of their real hero-worship coaches (Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, etc.) caught up in it in any way. Note I'm not saying Dungy has done anything himself at all specifically or anything, but you can bet your aunt soozie's petootie that if Bellichick goes down, he'll spend every waking second making sure as many people, and possible the NFL, goes down with him, and so will reporters anxious to make a name for themselves. The NFL is hoping against hope there's nothing to this, but if there is they'd HAVE to take some serious action.

 

[Gatorubet]

I think the NFL wants nothing to do with having to suspend Bellichick...not because anyone likes him, almost everyone wouldn't waste the good urine to piss on him if he was on fire, but he can't be the only coach utilizing these types of tactics, and the NFL doesn't want A) a widespread scandal, or more importantly B) one of their real hero-worship coaches (Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, etc.) caught up in it in any way. Note I'm not saying Dungy has done anything himself at all specifically or anything, but you can bet your aunt soozie's petootie that if Bellichick goes down, he'll spend every waking second making sure as many people, and possible the NFL, goes down with him, and so will reporters anxious to make a name for themselves. The NFL is hoping against hope there's nothing to this, but if there is they'd HAVE to take some serious action.

Yeah - every f-ing coach in the league puts something over their mouths when they calls plays because they're afraid of swallowing flies.

 

[Mike80]

Yeah - every f-ing coach in the league puts something over their mouths when they calls plays because they're afraid of swallowing flies.

ummm that's kind of what he said......