I've tried reading through this very painful thread, and just wanted to say PatsFanSince74 has been spot-on with every one of his posts here. It doesn't matter what the facts of the case are, it doesn't matter what we as Patriots fans think or believe. Many, if not most non-Patriots fans view SpyGate as a VERY serious matter, a single-handed effort by a rogue organization to violate the integrity and essence of the game, led by a moral-less individual who will win at all costs. If you don't agree, you haven't been around non-Patriot fans. Go over to JI right now, where Jets fans are still screaming at Pats fans telling them they should be ashamed of their team being involved in the "greatest scandal in the history of sports."
The average fan who who reads ESPN for all of his sports news thinks the Patriots literally knew their opponents' every play, on both sides of the ball, of every game for the entire Belichick era in New England, and all of their success is fraudulent. Nothing short of a full NFL or even Congressional investigation with a big book of official findings proving this to be otherwise will change their minds. And for the biggest of Pats-haters, even that won't do it. Plenty believe Goodell was involved in a massive cover-up in order to save face for the league, and would continue to do so in any follow-up.
It sucks, but all of the long-winded essays in the world are not going to change that perception.
You make some good points. Once some people have made up their minds, nothing is going to change that. That's why, as pointed out earlier in this thread, some people believe that 9/11 was an inside job, or that we've never been to the moon or that pro wrestling is real. While I understand Joker's point that we shouldn't have to accept this, some people just aren't going to change their minds. Those people could be on a message board, sitting in the seat next to you in a stadium, working for ESPN or writing articles for NFL.com.
I do find the idea that people think Goodell covered this "scandal" up very amusing. His actions throughout that period were the opposite of what someone would do to minimize a story. If Kraft was paying him (as the haters believe he was) to sweep this under the rug, he certainly threw his money away.
Generally speaking, this story really only has legs because the Patriots are involved. It has been demonstrated over the years that no one (except for Patriots fans) cares if another team does the same thing or worse.
The Broncos taping another team's practice is largely forgotten, even though they were caught and punished. During their run to the playoffs this season, you didn't hear someone like Rob Parker smugly say "Maybe they went back to taping practices."
During the Matt Walsh testimony saga, he told Goodell and Specter that he saw another team doing the same thing. Goodell refused to name that team, but at least Specter had the integrity to say it was the Jets. This fact garnered zero reaction. If Bernie Madoff said he knew of another investment firm doing the same thing or if Jerry Sandusky mentioned that he knew of another coach who committed the same crimes, that would be a huge deal. But with the NFL, it's fans and media, it didn't matter because it wasn't the Patriots.
Sadly, the only time people will stop bringing this up is after Brady, Belichick, and maybe even the Kraft family are no longer associated with the team.
