Specter: Goodell's explanations don't pass scrutiny

[BPF]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3246788

What to make of all this??

3 important facts:

Specter (R-Pa.) told ESPN.com that Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) offered support on Thursday for his inquiry into the New England Patriots' questionable videotaping practices, saying Leahy is "prepared to have the committee pay for people who travel and investigate." Leahy sat in on a part of Wednesday's session with Goodell and league counsel, Specter said.

Later Thursday, the Steelers released a statement that read: "We consider the tapes of our coaching staff during our games against the New England Patriots to be a non-issue. In our opinion, they had no impact on the results of those games. The Steelers fully support the manner in which Commissioner Goodell handled the situation and the discipline that he levied against those who violated league rules. We are confident that the Commissioner has taken appropriate action in his investigation of this matter, and will do so again if new information arises which requires further investigation and or discipline.

Specter said he was concerned to learn from Walsh's attorney that an NFL security representative, **** Farley, had been investigating Walsh. Specter said: "I confronted them on that, and Goodell says, 'Yeah, he [Farley] works for us. Yeah, he is a security guy, but we didn't know he was investigating him.'

Aiello said Thursday that it is an overstatement to suggest the league is investigating Walsh.

"The only thing we're doing is looking at public records and trying to verify his employment history in an effort to learn about him," Aiello said.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

I am more convinced than ever that the NFL knows this was going on league wide and they want this to go away asap.

 

[Disco Volante]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Specter (R-Pa.) told ESPN.com that Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) offered support on Thursday for his inquiry into the New England Patriots' questionable videotaping practices, saying Leahy is "prepared to have the committee pay for people who travel and investigate." Leahy sat in on a part of Wednesday's session with Goodell and league counsel, Specter said.

Sure the tax-payers are thrilled to hear this!

Help fix roads and the schools? No. I will spend your money on investigating NFL rule infractions!

 

[patsacolachick]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

If anyone in our country takes a senator or congressman conducting a sports related investigaton seriously after that fiasco yesterday, then they have an IQ of 10.
Does Specter not realize what a joke Congress looked like yesterday, and how fed up people are with their tax dollars being wasted on crap like this??
Un-freaking-believable.

 

[pheenix11]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Leahy you friggin traitor.

Big shock, what should we expect from VT.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Specter must be unsatisfied by what the Commish told him in regards to Comcast. Really seems like he is out to embarrass Goodell.

* Specter heard that explanation from Goodell on Wednesday. On Thursday, Specter said, "The word absurd and ridiculous keep coming to my mind, because he [Goodell] says it with a straight face."

If the below is true, what's there to investigate?? I'm sure no one in the league will talk because in the end most of them (coaches, scouts, GM's) take all the rules right to the edge and most often crossing the line for a competitive advantage and as evidenced by what happened yesterday under oath means nothing these days. As mentioned on this board many times, the Pats are not the only team in the league "spying," you'd have to be very naive to believe that.

* "Everything has changed," he said. "Nobody could use those. They are scrap paper -- except evidence."

With the evidence destroyed, Specter said there is no way to tell what advantage the Patriots might have gained in the illegal taping practice.

 

[DropKick Flutie]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

The NFL enjoys anti-trust freedoms. A lot of NFL stadiums are paid for with tax payer dollars... that makes them accountable to the government and the tax payers. Millions of tax paying fans need to know the games are legit, so I can't understand why anyone would think this is a waste of government time.

I'm glad the investigation continues. Even if the problem is league wide, it has to stop. Unfortunately for you Pats fans, it must come at the Patriots expense. BB is the face of this scandal, and Goodell is looking more and more like a co conspirator. Amazing how this thing got so little press... the NFL is a powerful force.

Even the most die hard Pats fan wants to see the game of football without the cheating in the future, but has to own the fact that the Patriots have to be the whipping boy for this garbage to stop.

 

[patsfan-1982]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

spector is just dieing about the yer hes eagels lost to us hes bringing up the steelers game they would have lost to the steelers to so who cares he need to get a life and all of the people in office they are more worryed about baseball and football when kids are dieing over seas and america is going down the toilet

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

The NFL enjoys anti-trust freedoms. A lot of NFL stadiums are paid for with tax payer dollars... that makes them accountable to the government and the tax payers. Millions of tax paying fans need to know the games are legit, so I can't understand why anyone would think this is a waste of government time.

Because it's not important enough. Not even close. Neither is the steroids crap. The NFL and MLB have their existence riding on the fans supporting the game, it's up to them to run it. Sphincter has no business wasting our tax dollars on this crap and quit throwing out the blanket "anti trust exemption" crap. That doesn't give Sphincter the right to hang it over the NFL's head every time the little prick wants something.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

The NFL enjoys anti-trust freedoms. A lot of NFL stadiums are paid for with tax payer dollars... that makes them accountable to the government and the tax payers. Millions of tax paying fans need to know the games are legit, so I can't understand why anyone would think this is a waste of government time.

I'm glad the investigation continues. Even if the problem is league wide, it has to stop. Unfortunately for you Pats fans, it must come at the Patriots expense. BB is the face of this scandal, and Goodell is looking more and more like a co conspirator. Amazing how this thing got so little press... the NFL is a powerful force.

Even the most die hard Pats fan wants to see the game of football without the cheating in the future, but has to own the fact that the Patriots have to be the whipping boy for this garbage to stop.

Stadiums may or may not be paid for with tax dollars. IF they are, then the money comes from State and local governments NOT the federal government.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

The NFL enjoys anti-trust freedoms. A lot of NFL stadiums are paid for with tax payer dollars... that makes them accountable to the government and the tax payers. Millions of tax paying fans need to know the games are legit, so I can't understand why anyone would think this is a waste of government time.

I'm glad the investigation continues. Even if the problem is league wide, it has to stop. Unfortunately for you Pats fans, it must come at the Patriots expense. BB is the face of this scandal, and Goodell is looking more and more like a co conspirator. Amazing how this thing got so little press... the NFL is a powerful force.

Even the most die hard Pats fan wants to see the game of football without the cheating in the future, but has to own the fact that the Patriots have to be the whipping boy for this garbage to stop.

I doubt the Pats will take it on the chin for the "good" of the league, Kraft has a product to protect. I don't know if you saw the CNBC 1 hr show on the Pats (The business of winning) before the SB but Kraft intimated they had evidence on other teams spying.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Can someone please tell me why Goddell had to answer to Spector? Did the Patriots commit a crime? If I were Goddell I would tell Spector to **** off and worry about more important issues in politics! Just another example why are goverment is a joke!

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Stadiums may or may not be paid for with tax dollars. IF they are, then the money comes from State and local governments NOT the federal government.

And the main benefit of the anti trust exemption is the evening of the playing field through TV revenue sharing. Consider this - the Patriots would be one of the prime benefactors of the lack of an anti trust exemption and teams like the Colts would go down the toilet. Big city teams, teams that own their own stadiums and the revenues they produce would have a huge advantage because they could outspend piss ant cities like Indianapolis.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Can someone please tell me why Goddell had to answer to Spector? Did the Patriots commit a crime? If I were Goddell I would tell Spector to **** off and worry about more important issues in politics! Just another example why are goverment is a joke!

A female reporter did ask Specter yesterday if the Patriots had committed any crime and he never did answer her straight.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

And the main benefit of the anti trust exemption is the evening of the playing field through TV revenue sharing. Consider this - the Patriots would be one of the prime benefactors of the lack of an anti trust exemption and teams like the Colts would go down the toilet. Big city teams, teams that own their own stadiums and the revenues they produce would have a huge advantage because they could outspend piss ant cities like Indianapolis.

What you have described sounds a little bit like MLB.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

A female reporter did ask Specter yesterday if the Patriots had committed any crime and he never did answer her straight.

Exactly. I'm being sarcastic, yet still want to know what you guys think. The Patriots didn't commit a crime and this should not involve goverment officials such as Spector. He is ruining the Pats.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

And the main benefit of the anti trust exemption is the evening of the playing field through TV revenue sharing. Consider this - the Patriots would be one of the prime benefactors of the lack of an anti trust exemption and teams like the Colts would go down the toilet. Big city teams, teams that own their own stadiums and the revenues they produce would have a huge advantage because they could outspend piss ant cities like Indianapolis.

Interesting read on anti-trust exemption:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/stories/2001-12-05-antitrust-explanation.htm

This would hatch an opening for a new league and would hurt player salaries.

 

[BPF]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Just found this article from Dec 2006. VERY INTERESTING!!

Seems as though Specter has other motives.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2690171&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

And the main benefit of the anti trust exemption is the evening of the playing field through TV revenue sharing. Consider this - the Patriots would be one of the prime benefactors of the lack of an anti trust exemption and teams like the Colts would go down the toilet. Big city teams, teams that own their own stadiums and the revenues they produce would have a huge advantage because they could outspend piss ant cities like Indianapolis.

Just found this article from Dec 2006. VERY INTERESTING!!

Seems as though Specter has other motives.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2690171&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

"The loss of the antitrust exemption, which certainly appears unlikely, would prohibit the NFL from bargaining for all 32 of its member teams.

Under such a scenario, teams would negotiate their own broadcast contracts, and some franchises clearly would command much larger rights fees than others. Currently, all of the league's teams share the rights fees equally, and that is the cornerstone of the NFL revenue-sharing model."

Patriots. Cowboys. New York teams say "Great". Piss ant little towns like Jacksonville and Indy say "Crap".

 

[Chuck.U.Farley]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

And the main benefit of the anti trust exemption is the evening of the playing field through TV revenue sharing. Consider this - the Patriots would be one of the prime benefactors of the lack of an anti trust exemption and teams like the Colts would go down the toilet. Big city teams, teams that own their own stadiums and the revenues they produce would have a huge advantage because they could outspend piss ant cities like Indianapolis.

You might have a valid point if boston was actually larger then Indianapolis to bad you are way out in left field here. Here is the rankings on infoplease.com 13. Indianapolis Indiana 785,597 22. Boston Massachusetts 590,763 and lucas oil filed is owned by Indianapolis. and what nascar or indycar series race makes more money than ours a bigger city hosting nascar nope your point is moot. Get facts before you make yourself look stupid Dallas and New York might benefit but boston sure as hell would not.