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?
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2 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
Goodell sure slaps the suspensions on players. He's just about banned pacman,but when the big money making Pats get caught cheating he slaps their hand. They still have a first round pick and belichick is still filthy rich. The nfl is crooked. It sure gets old watching refs throw their flags for Peyton. I'm gonna guess the major market teams will be in the spotlight again next year. Make that money Goodell! you bastard
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John McClory about 1 year ago
You gotta admit Goodell is in a tough spot, though. Who would've thought he'd have to deal with Pacman, Vick, and Spygate? The difference between these is Pacman and Vick are no-brainers, it's no secret what they did and harsh punishments are unavoidable. As for the Pats, the controversy is cloudy at best. The government is now involved and we all know how that goes. The scandal is slowly beginning to unfold but fines and punishments will have to wait. Would you be surprised if the allegations turned out to be nothing serious at all? I wouldn't. It has the potential to go either way, really.
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