Fed up with the Hypocrisy

[PromisedLand]

After reading the threads about Don Shula's ridiculous assertion that the Patriots record should have an * if they go undefeated I decided it might be a good idea to document the indiscretions of other NFL teams.

Patriots:
Spy/Cameragate

Dolphins:
Tampering in order to hire Mr. Shula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Shula

Jets:
Tampering to hire Parcells (I believe the commissioner stepped in and required the jets to provide compensation before tampering was declared)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...35751C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

Steelers:
Member of the medical staff purchasing $160,000 in HGH.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07060/765933-66.stm

49ers:
Salary Cap violations
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...1575BC0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

Broncos:
Salary cap violations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28969-2004Sep17.html

Dallas:
Taped opposing teams signals.
http://www.bleacherreport.com/artic...Super_Bowl_Losses_within_three_Points_-290907

Packers:
Paul Horning suspended for gambling.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11244760/

Lions
Alex Karras suspended for gambling.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11244760/

These are just a few off the top of my head (and I have to go to work).

I guess my goal with this post is to point out to everyone the hypocrisy of the "Pats are evil" mantra or "their accomplishments are tainted" mantra of many (not all) members of the media and many (not all) opposing fans.

I am not a football historian and this list is not exhaustive. Please add to the list with further posts.

Good thread. I actually started a similar thread right after the incident took place:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=60450

I don't know if it makes sense to merge the threads, but you might want to scan the old one and add any links which don't overlap yours to this thread.

 

[Bostonian1962]

What about the Broncos getting busted filming Raider practices? What about the Dolphins, yes the Dolphins Donnie Shula, getting caught last year stealing Brady's signals in the 21 - 0 loss to the Dolphins?

How about John Madden saying that he stole signals with the Raiders? What about Jimmy Johnson saying he did that and more, and even had an intern gather the opposing teams trash cans to see what they could find.

Heck last week, the ethical and highly moral Colts organization had noise piped into the stadium to adversely affect the Patriots. The Patriots had no coach to QB communication for the entire game, according to Bellichick. They had defensive linemen shouting out false snap counts, according to Brady. You want hypocritical? What a complete joke!

Great post. It's completely hypocritical, disingenuous, and a farse. Do you think Shula whined 'oh, those horrible Patriots ran up the score against us, n game one this season?' You know he did. Yeah, the same Shula, who in that undefeated 1972 season, beat the Patriots 52 - 0. It's a crock. It's a joke.

This Patriot team would role over that Dolphin team, and Shula knows it. When you see the Patriots rolling over now 7 and 1 Dallas at Dallas, and beating now 7 and 1 Indy @ Indy, and manhandling this very tough schedule, just remember that Dolphin opponents in 1972 had a .396 winning percentage.

Yeah Shula, you altered and completely change rules your entire career to help your team, as head of the rules committee, but confisgating a camera in the first quarter of the first game of the season, means this Patriot team must have an asterisk if they too go undefeated.

Is there anybody out there that doesn't understand how truly disingenuous, and phoney, and idiotic those comments are?

 

[patpatriot]

Over and over I have seen it. Over and over we have tried to treat, to plead, to reason, with other NFL fans and to what end?

I was critized by certain holier-than-thou Pats Fans members back during the height of the Witch Hunt. These Appeasers claimed that if only we tugged our forelocks harder, if only we bowed lower before our accusers, if only we rubbed the ashes of humiliation harder into our faces, the shame of our "so-called" sin would somehow be absolved and we would be washed in the forgiving waters of our fellow football affectionados.

Horseh*t I said then. Horsesh*t I say now. The only response the NFL deserves from the Patriots is the Black Flag. No Surrender No Quarter. When we raise the banner of victory above NFL headquarters and put our collective foot on the neck of that worm Godell; Then and only then will Justice be obtained. When Polian runs naked and screaming out of his pressbox wailing about the unfair strength of the Patriots, when Tony Dingy stands on the sidelines with that bovine look of incredulity on his face, when Peyton grabs his helmet in both hands and shakes his head in the final gesture of humiliation and frustration, when the road to the Super Bowl and victory over whatever puny NFC ant is thrown against us is wide open; then and only then will we know that Justice has finally been obtained; in the only way Justice is ever truly obtained, ...By the Strength of Our Arms!

When our enemies, foreign and domestic, are crushed before our feet; then, and only then will I talk of mercy and forgiveness.

Until then..The Black Flag!

 

[Seacoast Fan]

It only makes it worse when you do something wrong to point out everything else that's wrong. Wrong is wrong. We broke the rules. Deciding to tape from the sidelines was a premeditated act. We can't now choose how everyone is going to react to that premeditated act. When I was younger and quicker to hate and the Cowboys or 49ers would have had this pumped up media campaign against one of them back then, I would have embraced it too.

We all love BB, but we don't have to defend this. It was really stupid.

Do any of you sometimes think BB manufactured this whole thing just to create a "bunker mentality" on his team?

I agree!

......

 

[Seacoast Fan]

Over and over I have seen it. Over and over we have tried to treat, to plead, to reason, with other NFL fans and to what end?

I was critized by certain holier-than-thou Pats Fans members back during the height of the Witch Hunt. These Appeasers claimed that if only we tugged our forelocks harder, if only we bowed lower before our accusers, if only we rubbed the ashes of humiliation harder into our faces, the shame of our sin would somehow be absolved and we would be washed in the forgiving waters of our fellow football affectionados.

Horseh*t I said then. Horsesh*t I say now. The only response the NFL deserves from the Patriots is the Black Flag. No Surrender No Quarter. When we raise the banner of victory above NFL headquarters and put our collective foot on the neck of that worm Godell; Then and only then will Justice be obtained. When Polian runs naked and screaming out of his pressbox wailing about the unfair strength of the Patriots, when Tony Dingy stands on the sidelines with that bovine look of incredulity on his face, when Peyton grabs his helmet in both hands and shakes his head in the final gesture of humiliation and frustration, when the road to the Super Bowl and victory over whatever puny NFC ant is thrown against us is wide open; then and only then will we know that Justice has finally been obtained; in the only way Justice is ever truly obtained, ...By the Strength of Our Arms!

When our enemies, foreign and domestic, are crushed before our feet; then, and only then will I talk of mercy and forgiveness.

Until then..The Black Flag!

I agree!

......

 

[Joker]

The Black Flag should be plenty enough to take care of the Indy kockroach infestation

 

[Bostonian1962]

The Black Flag should be plenty enough to take care of the Indy kockroach infestation

I like that, so...........BUMP!

 

[Spirit of '76]

I actually think Shula's ridiculous rants are a compliment. He obviously is very nervous that the Pats are going to break his precious records. The NFL machine thinks so too as they are all chastising the Pats publically, but bumping all their games into prime time to cash in as much as possible.

What if the Pats did this? Get to 15-0, then on the Giants game on the NFL Network for game 16, just come out and lie down on the field for 60 minutes straight? I know it will never happen, but wouldn't that be the best F-U to the rest of the NFL?

That would be hilarious. But BB would have to benefit in some way or do it to screw Mangina, Dungy, or Fisher (another outspoken critic of the Pats).

 

[FrontSeven]

Actually, really, and really really - tampering and messing with the cap are far more serious charges than the LOCATION of a camera.

Tampering is like second-degree murder and moving the camera to a non-approved location is like jaywalking.

If any team should have an asterisk it would be the Forty Niners. But to me they tooled the NFL and got away with it at the time, and so be it. More power to them. It is, in fact, a league of cheating and espionage, and to try to turn it into the Boy Scouts is a big mistake.

 

[Wretch]

It was never my intent to justify the Patriots actions through pointing out the actions of other teams. I readily admit the Patriots engaged in actions that were against the rules and were punished accordingly and deservedly.

It was to point out the hypocrisy of those, like Don Shula, who are piling on the Pats as "evil" or making claims that the Patriots accomplishments are tarnished, and not acknowledging their own wrong doing or the wrong doing of their teams.

This thread was not created to justify the Patriots actions, only to expose the hypocrisy of some of the people commenting.

 

[Bostonian1962]

It was never my intent to justify the Patriots actions through pointing out the actions of other teams. I readily admit the Patriots engaged in actions that were against the rules and were punished accordingly and deservedly.

It was to point out the hypocrisy of those, like Don Shula, who are piling on the Pats as "evil" or making claims that the Patriots accomplishments are tarnished, and not acknowledging their own wrong doing or the wrong doing of their teams.

This thread was not created to justify the Patriots actions, only to expose the hypocrisy of some of the people commenting.

That's how I took it. It was a very good post.

 

[marty]

Bump again.

 

[patpatriot]

Wretch you name yourself and wretch is who you are! There is no room for "Wretch" on this bandwagon; Room is there only for those who know the truth and not for those who lie or those who serve the lie.

 

[Wretch]

Wretch you name yourself and wretch is who you are! There is no room for "Wretch" on this bandwagon; Room is there only for those who know the truth and not for those who lie or those who serve the lie.

I understand and respect your point that there was a witch hunt by the NFL. However I do not think anyone can argue that the Patriots did not violate the rule. The punishment was harsh (I think too harsh), but the Patriots deserved some punishement for violating the rules.

That said I don't want to be distracted from the goal of this thread was to point out the hypocrisy of the Patriots detractors not debate the severity of the Patriots infraction or the punishment.

 

[PatriotsReign]

I loved your post so much, I re-posted it on IndyStar.com. Of course I gave you the credit! here's the link.

http://www2.indystar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3303048#post3303048

 

[Wretch]

I loved your post so much, I re-posted it on IndyStar.com. Of course I gave you the credit! here's the link.

http://www2.indystar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3303048#post3303048

Thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately some people are so caught up in hating the Patriots and their success that reason is lost on them....honestly I'm probably the same when talking about the Colts or the Yankees.

The guy who said that tampering and salary cap violations don't give you an advantage is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.