Section103
Practice Squad Player
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 172
- Reaction score
- 17
According to Mike Reiss of the Globe, this is the exact rule that the Pats allegedly broke:
"Any use by any club at any time, from the start to the finish of any game in which such club is a participant, of any communications or information-gathering equipment, other than Polaroid-type cameras or field telephones, shall be prohibited, including without limitation videotape machines, telephone tapping, or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game."
They did not use it during the playing of the game. The memo that went out did not specify 'during the playing of the game' yet should it have been reasonably assumed by the Pats that the memo was extending beyond the rule. The league memos do not amend the rules, there are committees and votes and official reviews in the off-season for rules changes, this was not one of them. The memo does not change that. This camera practice was not hidden, the guy was in plain view and he was out there less than a week after the memo. Is it arrogance or an honest belief that their interpretation was correct?
"Any use by any club at any time, from the start to the finish of any game in which such club is a participant, of any communications or information-gathering equipment, other than Polaroid-type cameras or field telephones, shall be prohibited, including without limitation videotape machines, telephone tapping, or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game."
They did not use it during the playing of the game. The memo that went out did not specify 'during the playing of the game' yet should it have been reasonably assumed by the Pats that the memo was extending beyond the rule. The league memos do not amend the rules, there are committees and votes and official reviews in the off-season for rules changes, this was not one of them. The memo does not change that. This camera practice was not hidden, the guy was in plain view and he was out there less than a week after the memo. Is it arrogance or an honest belief that their interpretation was correct?