I think I'm going to wait for all the information to come out before I pop my "vindication champagne". I don't want to be blindsided by some unforseen twist.
When this first started before week 2, some conjectured that we were witnessing a "coup" by other teams in the league against the Pats, kings of the NFL, prompted mainly by the theft of Randy Moss for a song from the Raiders and what was perceived as unendurable arrogance by BB. The conspirators believed the Pats had tampered, orchestrated the move with Moss, and forced Oakland's hand. This was competitive imbalance in the eyes of many pathologically competitive men. All offseason they were determined to wound the Pats, with the longshot aim of destroying BB's reputation and maybe even forcing his resignation. This was partially motivated by extreme personal dislike of BB. I believe the principal men involved were Polian, Fisher and Tannenbaum, and they knew they could manipulate a fawning press eager for inside scoop, a mentally sluggish neophyte commish, and the ignorant mob of NFL fandom as long as they could gain the acquiescence of the Rooneys and the Maras, the traditional pillars of the league.
We learned from Walsh's conversation with the ESPN mediot in Hawaii that before he was fired by Pioli, (so Walsh claims) he had already become disgruntled and sent information to other teams about the Pats, trolling for future employment. This was the reason Walsh originally put forward for his termination: Pioli had discovered he was sending out information of some kind. It seems logical that Walsh's identity as a disgruntled Pats employee was therefore known to certain NFL teams. One of those teams could have tipped ESPN off to Walsh's whereabouts and background (read: Easterbrook). I find it no coincidence that Easterbrook foisted the Good vs Evil, Colts vs Pats canard on the nation. This was the equivalent of a "you scratch my back I scratch yours" reward for the Poliannas. Dungy's uncharacteristic nastiness on this issue smacks of a man too close to the story. He was the first one to speak out, IMO disingenuously, against the Pats; and he did so immediately, as though it were pre-planned IOT fan the flames scandal and force the commissioner's hand on the severity of punishment. Dungy has continued to offer commentary on "Spygate" ever since, with venom, and his inability to hide his animus IMO unmasks the Colts as one of the prime movers behind the charade.
I believe the bloodletting, the lost SB, the public ridicule has now satisfied the bloodlust of the league figures involved, punctuated by Krafts apology at the owners meetings, in which he humbled himself before them.
But there is something none of these people, Tannenbaum, Polian, Fisher et. al. have calculated. That is the extreme loyalty of Jonathan Kraft to his father. He can't even talk about the way Parcells treated his father without becoming emotional now, and that was 10+ years ago. Jonathan Kraft is going to carry a vendetta with him the rest of his life. He has been very quiet, on this subject since the SB. My sense is that this was an injunction from his father, and he has kept his silence with extreme reluctance.
I believe J. Kraft will pursue this issue relentlessly within the law for as long as he is breathing and the Pats and their fans will eventually have the vengeance they deserve against the villains in question. What form that vengeance takes we can only guess. But I am confident I have read J. Kraft's personality correctly and that he will leave no stone unturned to vindicate his father's team, and unmask his father's enemies.
He is a very shrewd man who has at times too loose a tongue but is extremely aggressive both personally and professionally. He is not the kind of man you want to have as an enemy for the long term. If I were Polian, Tannenbaum, Fisher et. al. and the men they represent, I would not rest easily. Revenge is best served cold.
