POSTED 8:42 p.m. EST; UPDATED 9:04 p.m. EST, November 7, 2007
POLIAN DECRIES DISREPUTABLE WEB SITES (AND I'M GLAD WE'RE NOT ONE OF THEM)
Colts president and G.M. Bill Polian has addressed on the team's official web site the controversy that arose regarding the strange audio phenomenon that could be heard during the broadcast of Sunday's game between the Patriots and the Colts.
Q: Can you comment on the allegations that the Colts artificially piped-in crowd noise at the RCA Dome Sunday?
A: I'm not sure that [Patriots Head] Coach [Bill] Belichick had any comments about crowd noise. There were a number of comments made on what I would call disreputable websites [Monday] morning. We reacted to it because we felt like it was an affront to our fans and to the integrity of our organization. I will read you a statement we issued earlier Monday. It says the following: 'In reference to questions regarding the audio transmission of yesterday's game, please refer to the following statement from the NFL: CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts game was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast. It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium. We close with the following sentence: We trust this will put an end to the ridiculous and unfounded accusations that the Colts artificially enhanced crowd noise at the RCA Dome in any way.'
Q: Where do people come up with these ideas?
A: I have no idea. These are people who in many respects just have axes to grind and have no responsibility for what they write. They simply write innuendo and rumor and garbage and then it gets picked up in the mainstream media. The unfortunate part of blogs these days is that if something completely unfounded, something completely untrue – as is the case here – is in a blog, then someone in the mainstream media can pick it up and they use the excuse, 'Well, it was in a blog. So it was news, and we have to follow it.' Well, you can follow this until the cows come home and there's nothing to find. We didn't do anything.
Hmmm. Where do people come up these ideas? Let's see, Bill. The Colts have been suspected in the past of pumping fake crowd noise into the RCA Dome. The Steelers accused the team of doing so two years ago. And, clearly, there was a bizarre sound glitch on Sunday. Were disreputable web sites supposed to ignore it?
"In the past, teams that have visited the RCA Dome have questioned whether the Colts pipe in artificial crowd noise in an effort to disrupt the road team's offense. Though the Colts have denied any such chicanery (thanks, Tiki), the suspicions remain.
"And the suspicions will only grow stronger after Sunday's game against New England. During the first play of the fourth quarter, the noise from the crowd contained a strange effect. It almost sounded like my kid was working the 'Whammy Bar' while playing Guitar Hero.
"We don't know whether that noise could be heard in the stadium, but it was obvious on CBS' broadcast. And it invites speculation as to whether the Colts are indeed piping in phony music -- and whether there was a malfunction of some sort on Sunday that offered proof of it."
It was a fair question to raise, in light of the history of suspicions and given the odd noises from Sunday's game. And, amazingly, a certain disreputable web site with an alleged ax to grind nevertheless found a way to demonstrate some semblance of objectivity by later posting (and embracing) an explanation from a recording industry expert who swears that the sound was not the result of any efforts by the Colts to artificially increase the decibel levels in the dome.
