mgteich

Please note that weei is local media that is supporting the patriots.

richpats

"Taping signals"...whatever.

nowayback

only the big show is supporting the pats and holley a bit....all the others are very anti pats

naclone

I don't think the pats will be exonerated and i think they are going to get penalized for breaking a rule. but i think NE is going to make a pretty compelling case that they were not "cheating" as has been pinned on them in this rush to judgment.

moosekill

Has there been an official statement from the league office yet saying the Patriots did anything wrong? Has the Commissioner issued an official statement telling us the Patriots have been found guilty of cheating or breaking the rules? I have seen sooo many statements quoting sources and the like, I just haven't seen any official quotes.

Patriot_in_NY

Do you think they MADE UP the memo they just read verbatim???? WTF.

The memo was unclear...... and left wiggle room for BB to say -

"we never intended to use the tape for during the game. We tape everyone and then, as part of analysis post-game, we see if there is any usable stuff for us to use later down the road. I was under the impression that that was fine, so long as we did not use it during that game, which we had no intention of doing. Is that wrong?"

Goodell will HAVE to take that into account because the MEMO leaves a little bit of wiggle room. It should just say "YOU CANNOT VIDEO TAPE DEFENSIVE SIGNALS, PERIOD." Then it's clear.

It's hard to come down too hard on that................

naclone

they just reread it.

sounds like they had it wrong the first time. it says "...that might aid a team in the playing of a game."

still vague. but not a smoking gun.

DaBruinz

It should have said that TEAMS can NOT have video taping/ playing equipment on the sidelines, field, coaches booth, or in the lockerroom. And that NFL Security will spot check those areas to ensure that is the case.

Patriot_in_NY

Shoulda/coulda/woulda don't mean squat.

What DID it say is what's important. If it's worded the way that they just read, there is significant room for BB to plead "I thought we were okay". They may say no, but it certainly takes care of the "cheating" angle.

Metaphors

That is the point I've been making all along. If the Pats are known violators of this rule, wouldn't NFL security at every Pats game check for cameras BEFORE KICKOFF? Not like the Pats were trying to be sneaky about this.

I'm getting the impression that Goodell didn't think this activity was a major issue and didn't put much focus on it beyond the memo...kinda like a memo to remind players not to wear Vitamin Water hats at press conferences. Important to keep track of but not worth having NFL security become fashion police and certainly not affecting the competitive nature of the sport (besides the negative appearances to the masses).

Now his league is front page news again for the wrong reasons. He might take his frustration out on the Pats, but I'm thinking his relationship with Kraft is more important than that. I also believe Kraft will try to work with Goodell to help him put this issue to bed...maybe agreeing to a "punishment" since the Pats certainly weren't above board with this whole situation.