New England Patriots: ESPN's Sal Paolantonio - Time to Move on From Spygate

I can't believe I did it again.  For the umpteenth time since the whole Spygate story broke last September, I thought we had reached the end. 

For many, May 8 was the end.  Matt Walsh finally delivered the much anticipated tapes we have been hearing about since days before the Super Bowl.  But shockingly, there was no tape of a Rams' practice from before Super Bowl XXXVI.  No such tape exists because it never happened.  

End of story, right?

Not if you have an agenda like Sal Paolantonio and other reporters who thought finally you were going to get to celebrate while Bill Belichick went down in flames. 

They can't let it go.  Their obsession with getting Belichick leads these reporters to continue to come up with convoluted theories why we still need to dig deeper into Spygate.

To be honest, most of the so-called investigative reporters and columnists who are doing this, I understand why.  They are nobodies.  They were before, and I am sure many of them saw Spygate as a chance to make a name for themselves. 

Do as much over the top reporting as they can, write outlandish theories and make accusations based on no evidence—and if by some chance it comes true, maybe it can be their turn to appear on the sports talk radio shows.  If very fortunate, maybe even an appearance on Around the Horn, so they too can yell and scream while making fake arguments.

Of course, if none of it is true, so what?  There are no repercussions for making carefully crafted accusations based on zero evidence.  Journalism 101 to many.  

But Sal Paolantonio?  Really?  You aren't better than this, Sal?  

His article from yesterday reached the point that he clearly has no credibility on this issue and is willing to sell his soul in the hope that, maybe, there is a way he can still get Bill Belichick. 

The article is such a disgrace.  I do not even know where to begin.

Paolantonio starts by writing that some in the media have made a "hasty" conclusion that Spygate is over?  Hasty—is that the correct word to describe a story that has lingered for over nine months?

The reason the story persisted was because of an article based on false accusations printed in the Boston Herald and adopted by ESPN and others, that a former Patriots' employee had a video tape of a Rams' practice. 

A story by the way that ESPN and other media outlets refused to run on their own because they did not at the time find it to be credible.  Good thing then they followed up by spending months talking about the not credible accusations.

So Sal, it is not the end when we finally learn definitively that no such tape exists?

Not to Sal.  Belichick said that he did break the rules, but he did so unknowingly and had interpreted the rule differently.  Sal therefore wants Goodell to ask "tough questions" and to "grill" Walsh on this issue because he doesn't believe Belichick.  If it isn't true, then Sal for the good of the game wants to see more punishments.  

A few points.

First, could a video assistant, one way or the other, be able to honestly tell Paolantonio what he wishes to learn?  

Let's assume it is true that Belichick knew all along he was breaking the rules.  

Does Paolantonio honestly believe that the video assistant would have any insight into Belichick's reasoning for doing anything?

Does Paolantonio honestly believe that there was a meeting in a room at the Patriots' offices—with possible attendees including Belichick, Scott Pioli, Ernie Adams, Robert Kraft, Charlie Weiss, and the video assistant?

And at this meeting, Belicihick stood up and said, "There is this rule, and we are going to break it.  And I want the video assistant to tape the other team.  I know we are cheating, but we are going to do it anyway.  Everyone understand." 

Maybe Sal thinks there was a coaches/video assistant meeting, but after the coaches left, Belichick met privately with the video assistant - similar to the meeting where Lt. Kendrick ordered Downey and Dawson to commit the code red.  In this meeting, Belichick told the video assistant his true intentions.  The coach also probably picked the video assistant's brain for play-calling suggestions and then confessed to killing Jimmy Hoffa. 

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