Statement from Bill Belichick

[cubicle_6]

As much as I'm angry at Belichick for the offense, and have clearly expressed that, I'm actually glad he didn't give a weeping apology for the masses who have been throwing stones.
There's still the hypocricy, it's just that the Patriots should have stuck with a consigliere with binoculars, a not pad, and a good football IQ.

The media thinks they should be apologizing to them, the media,
And if they think he should be apologizing to the rest of the league, well, the eyes were right back at the Patriots watching signs, so screw that.
F the pompous media. Belichick deserves a lot of heat, but what about the rest of the teams stealing signs?
It's part of the job until the league office does something about it.

 

[TeamFirst]

YAY It's over. Can't wait till Sunday.


Go Patriots

 

[Bella*chick]

this line

"Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect."

mort says the rules are in black and white and there is no question of interpretation.

Mort is an idiot. The only reason any lawyer has a career is interpreting rules that are supposedly in "black and white". What a tool.

I think it goes beyond even that. The media want contrition in the form of Belichick admitting he cheated, disgraced the game, himself and the organization and apologizing to all his opponents. Nobody will be satisfied until that happens and once it happens, it still won't shut them up because then all they'll talk about is how tarnished everything we've done is.

I guarantee you they want him to grovel.

 

[sebman2112]

Despite the possible loss of a first round pick this is the happiest I have been since Sunday!

kind of strange but I'm actually feeling somewhat happy right now too...probably that I've actually come to realize this might not really cost the Patriots as much as it technically does.

The still have the 9ers first, second, the raiders third, their own third and a bunch of other picks.

The Patriots also have other players who'll be entering free agency that could be franchised and traded for picks, and other players they could trade to unload their contracts (Stallworth comes to mind) so this might not actually hurt the team as much as it should. I'm also glad that BB will be coaching every game this season, and the fact that this doesn't make this team any weaker.

 

[shmessy]

this line

"Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect."

mort says the rules are in black and white and there is no question of interpretation.

Please. He said "My interpretation was incorrect". That's contrition.

 

[PF1996]

An apology isn't going to bring back our first round pick. Belichick risked the future of the Pats knowing full well that he's hated by the league and the media, that the Pats are heavily scrutinized and after having been already caught. He did this even though there are LEGAL WAYS to obtain tape of a team's signals. He did this even after being caught and warned in VERY CLEAR LANGUAGE. The frigging rules states, NO VIDEORECORDING, not "no VIDEORECORDING FOR THE PURPOSE OF USE IN CURRENT GAME". To think that the spineless, "need for approval/look tough" Goodell would ignore the expected media generated hysteria was stupid. The only way Belichick can salvage this season is to win the SB. It's a shame - I looked forward all frigging summer for football season and now I'm going to have to avoid all sports shows until at least the playoffs. An unnecessary, completely avoidable self-inflicted wound. No amount of contrition will make it better.

 

[Ford Prefect]

mort says the rules are in black and white and there is no question of interpretation.

Who is mort? How many SBs has he won?

 

[BradyManny]

Shmessy, I also recognized this sentence as key and intentionally cryptic, and this is what I think he means:

They videotape the sideline hand calls, but do not look at them until after the game. If this is true, then this entire punishment is a HUGE embarassment on the league and a complete joke. And all the mediots and fans can apologize for the wild assumptions they've made.

Truth!! 10 char

 

[mgteich]

An interesting comparison

As Gerald Ford once said, "Our long national nightmare is now over"...

Is it Sunday night yet???

 

[patsfan13]

An apology isn't going to bring back our first round pick. Belichick risked the future of the Pats knowing full well that he's hated by the league and the media, that the Pats are heavily scrutinized and after having been already caught. He did this even though there are LEGAL WAYS to obtain tape of a team's signals. He did this even after being caught and warned in VERY CLEAR LANGUAGE. The frigging rules states, NO VIDEORECORDING, not "no VIDEORECORDING FOR THE PURPOSE OF USE IN CURRENT GAME". To think that the spineless, "need for approval/look tough" Goodell would ignore the expected media generated hysteria was stupid. The only way Belichick can salvage this season is to win the SB. It's a shame - I looked forward all frigging summer for football season and now I'm going to have to avoid all sports shows until at least the playoffs. An unnecessary, completely avoidable self-inflicted wound. No amount of contrition will make it better.

Don't let the door hit ya in the ass on the way out.

 

[cblesz]

mort says this statement is unacceptable and not acted in contrition and will be a lot of -ve reaction from around the league.

You know what? F Chris Mortensen...jacka$$...

 

[maverick4]

The frigging rules states, NO VIDEORECORDING, not "no VIDEORECORDING FOR THE PURPOSE OF USE IN CURRENT GAME".

What the hell are you talking about, did you even read his statement? He expressly said he did not use sideline tape for competitive advantage during a game. What that means, for you simpletons, is that it was for post-game study purposes.

 

[CT_Pats_Fan]

Who is mort? How many SBs has he won?

Wasn't mort the guy that Larry Craig was playing footsy with?

 

[sebman2112]

How can you not LOVE this man?

The media is already getting sick over this "what, that's it?"

Compare to the heart wrenching soul searching novella Peter King suggested he deliver. Now he's just going to come to the podium and say "you all got my statement right? Ok, on to the Chargers. Questions?"

It's such an utter thing of beauty!

Funny thing is I bet he'd actually like it if the media only wants to continue asking him questions about the ruling, because he'll just say "I've already given my statement, anybody want to talk about the Chargers" and when none of them want to he'll say "OK, I guess nobody wants to talk about the Chargers then" and walk off the stage. The reason I say he'd probably like it is that we all know he doesn't like giving press conferences anyways, and it'll give him more time to game plan

 

[Kdo5]

Funny thing is I bet he'd actually like it if the media only wants to continue asking him questions about the ruling, because he'll just say "I've already given my statement, anybody want to talk about the Chargers" and when none of them want to he'll say "OK, I guess nobody wants to talk about the Chargers then" and walk off the stage. The reason I say he'd probably like it is that we all know he doesn't like giving press conferences anyways, and it'll give him more time to game plan

lmao. Great point.

F the media.

 

[mgteich]

I think you need to use dictionary.com. Belichick's statement following yesterday's statement acknowledged who had the power to make his interpretation be the right one. He basically said, OK you caught me. See you next time.

And yes, I am as glad this is behind us as everyone else.

Please. He said "My interpretation was incorrect". That's contrition.

 

[Bella*chick]

What the hell are you talking about, did you even read his statement? He expressly said he did not use sideline tape for competitive advantage during a game. What that means, for you simpletons, is that it was for post-game study purposes.

I think the point is, no one is going to believe it.

I actually do have a bit of a question about it. I mean, we all know teams steal signals for use during a game, right? Through binoculars, lipreaders, etc. So, if we weren't using the video camera for the game in progress, then did we use one of the other league-approved methods? Because I find it hard to believe we wouldn't steal signals for competitive advantage at all if we knew others were doing it.

 

[sebman2112]

lmao. Great point.

F the media.

You're reading my mind buddy, you're reading my mind

 

[PatsSteve1]

"I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career." :rocker:

That should stop the fam whining.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Yes he apologized to the fans. Without the fans he and his boss would not have an NFL team. Mighty big of him.

LOL Without him and his boss the fans of NE would still be Patsies. Well, maybe some of them always were and forever will be...