Originally Posted by patfanken

...to bring this "spygate" issue to a deffinitive END.

When I first heard about Shula's whine about the Pat's potential undefeated season needing an asterisk, my first reaction to pass it off as just a "grumpy old man" (sorta like myself) trying to protect the uniqueness of a record he has held so long. However as the news spread to the national media and was being reported on, I changed my mind.

On PTI, both Wilbon and Kornheiser both gave it a "double WOW". Then Kornheiser, who is sort of the "everyman" kind of columnist, stated that he had now changed his mind about the importance of "spygate" as an issue, and because it was coming from such an eminent sourse as Don Shula, it carried much more weight. So if HE is feeling that way, I believe a lot of "middle america" is feeling the SAME way.

Well that did it for me. Rather than whithering on the vine like it should have this story keep on getting legs, and its time for it to STOP. And the only way it will stop is if the real truth comes out. Tom Curran (in a great column, btw) called the infraction tantamount to aggrevated jaywalking, or in other words being caught for a procedural infraction. (which is what it was).

Now it is time for the truth to come out. Tom Brady has stated on several occassion when asked about comments by the "haters", that "in this lockerroom WE KNOW THE TRUTH, and that's enough for us" (Paraphrase).

Well Tom the time has come to share the "truth" with the rest of us. It is time to let the haters know what you know, that makes you so comfortable with this situation.

Roger Goodell has seemed to have proven that he could teach George Bush a few things about *****ing up a good thing with his handling of this whole thing. His overreacting with the Pats punishment, and his allowing rank speculation and inuendo to go unanswered has not only hurt the Patriots, but its hurt the entire league (as Curran so aptly points out).

I think its becoming clearer every day that Goodel must have some unreported beef with the Pats that goes back a long way. He has left them twisting in the wind, despite his initial pronouncement that none of what the Pats recorded led to the Pats gaining an unfair advantage in a game.

Goodell needs to come out with a definitive statement that lets people know what the Pats taped, how the tapes were used by the Pats, and why if the tapes DIDN'T give the Pats a competitive edge, why the punishment was so heavy handed, and why he destroyed them. (though I think I know why he did). If he doesn't the spygate will be followed by Audiogate, capgate, druggate, etc....all of which just hurts the credibility of the league in general.

BTW- in the "oh boy the irony of it all" column. I couln't believe hearing well known Pats hater Mark Schleith (sp) on Mike and Mike telling people that one of the reasons Denver used the chop blocking technique was inorder to tire out DLmen over the course of a game. The irony of it? Well here was a memeber of the Denver Broncos who violated the Cap inorder to win 2 superbowls telling the world he used an illegal technique to get an unfair advantage over the opposition....the day after he questioned the integrity of the Patriots....AGAIN... because of "spygate". That is why his picture is featured next to the definition of HYPOCRACY in the dictionary.

FInally Wretch has put together a must read collection of articles in a post titled "Fed up with the Hypocracy". Read the acticles, desseminated the information, and keep bumping it up. And BTW the Curran article is not to be missed either

Originally Posted by Sundayjack

Not the kind of guy to say 'I told you so,' but. . .

I agree, and said much the same as the story lingered after the initial report. The Patriots have lost control of the message to the media and, as a result, have allowed their brand to be devalued. Just very poor public relations work in an organization that has one of the best business and marketing operations in the league. Surprising.