Just when the public thought Spygate was put to rest, the media dug up the corpse and dished out thirty lashes. Coincidentally—or perhaps intentionally—the agonizing tale caught a second wind on the doorstep of Super Bowl XLII.
For those who had better things to do and missed the Spygate sideshow entirely, let's review a brief timeline complete with a who's who.
I now present...the 2007-2008 Spygate All-Stars!
Eric Mangini
Don't let the fact that he's gained fifty pounds since his stint as a Patriots assistant fool you, the "Man-genius" can still blow the whistle with the best of 'em.
And by, "blow the whistle," I mean rat out the man who let young Eric ride his coattails since his days at Wesleyan University.
Ah, the sweet smell of back-stabbing is prevalent in the NFL.
During week 1 of the 07-08 season, Mangini accused Belichick and co. of filming the Jets defensive signals during the game, a direct violation of league rules.
The Spygate-outing ended in a 38-14 blowout in favor of New England.
Wow, just imagine if the Patriots had adhered to the NFL code of ethics—the final score might've been a narrow 35-14 victory.
It's clear that both coaches trashed their work relationship—and friendship—once Mangini traded Super Bowl rings for onion rings.
But what about their frat buddy days at Wesleyan? Did Belichick pants Mangini? Did he spill a wine cooler on his v-neck sweater vest?
If Spygate has a deeper history than Watergate, then isn't it reasonable to assume that Mangini was in on the ruse under Belichick's command? Roger Goodell has no legit reason to question coaches not named Belichick? Is the commish afraid the "Man-genius" will outfox him faster than Jack Bauer?
An intriguing aspect of the controversy was vastly overlooked.
In a January 2007 playoff game, the Jets were accused of doing some spying of their own. Allegedly, they were caught illegally filming by a Patriots security employee and were asked to leave. The Jets organization later denied the accusations and claimed the Patriots had given them permission to do so. Belichick denied permission was given.
(Raven's coach, Brian Billick, also accused Mangini of illegal tactics. Hmmm.)
If the lowly Jets were under the same microscope as the mighty Patriots, would more attention be given to this story?
You gotta wonder.
The accusations made against the Jets were, afterall, only accusations. But isn't that what Spygate is all about—accusations, allegations, and assumptions?
Without these three ingredients, what would ESPN's Gregg Easterbrook write about?
The thorn in the NFL's side, ladies and gentlemen!
Who would've thought the man behind such dead-pan quotes as, "We're gonna take it one game at a time," and, "Tom's a great player," could be capable of orchestrating one of the biggest scandals in NFL history.
Of course, to his credit, we honestly don't know how much weight Spygate truly carries. But it has the potential to blow the roof off the joint, especially when you're dealing with a media that documented the growth of Barry Bond's cranium.
Belichick, of course, was on the receiving end of Mangini's wrath in week 1. Watching them reluctantly shake hands at the end of a Jets-Pats game is like watching a newly split couple cross paths in a public place—they think about going in for the hug and ultimately decide a handshake is somehow less awkward.
NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, dealt out a $500,000 fine to the coach—the largest ever—and the organization was fined an amount of $250,000. Additionally, the Patriots were forced to forfeit their upcoming draft pick.
Ouch.
In the mean time, the medi
This article is also featured on
John McClory
We're going to send you the most entertaining New England Patriots articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
1 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete