Please - do you think the Patriots would have accepted the loss of a first round draft choice for a "mistake" - not a chance. Belichek got caught red-handed, and while the penalty seemed stiff, many thought it was relatively light considering the offense. The only "mistake" was the fact Belicheck never took the NFL's warnings seriously and he continued his illegal tapings until caught.
I think you need to take a course in English comprehension.
Belichick believed he was within the rules. The bylaws include 'during the playing of the game'. BB says he interpretted that to mean to USE the tapes in the SAME game, and that is certainly a rational interpretation.
The league sent out MEMOs as REMINDERS OF THE RULES. The league did NOT REWRITE THE RULE.
You are saying that a man who believes he understands a rule then receives a memo as a reminder of the rule and the only difference is 'during the game' instead during the playing of the game', and it is ridiculous to think he felt he understood the rule, felt the reminder made no change, so he saw no reason to do anything differently.
You viewpoint assume that BB takes every memo from the league, studies in detail, compares it to the bylaws, and goes back and reflects upon he whether he really, really understands what he is pretty certain he already does. That is ludicrous.
In your sheltered mind, sideline videotaping is on BBs midn every moment of every day. It was this incredible priority that he had to consider its legality, reconsider his interpretation every single day.
Do you have any idea at all what BB is responsible for? This issue is 1/1000000000th of 1% of his work product. You want an accountability as if BBs job were video coordinator so he spend sleepness nights worrying about video taping, and needed to hire a team of attorneys to analyze a memo on such an important topic.
NFL coaches work 20 hour days and still do not get in all of the film breakdown, gameplan work, teaching, scouting, analysis of their own players on film, and breakdown of the other teams on film, negotiation with agents, coaching the assistants, not to mention the numerous employees in off-field departments that BB is responsible for as the de facto director of operations.
You will say that it is IMPOSSIBLE that he misunderstood the rule (you even accept that he did) read a reminder memo on a rule he already felt he understood, that rule was ordered about 999,999,999 on his list of priorities. Rather it had to be a planned deceitful effort, because to you sideline filming is the primary issue BB should have on his mind while coaching the Pats, since as of today its the only issue you can keep your feeble mind on.
Totally assinine.
Lets get some perspective.
You are employed by XYZ company in some type of management position. It is a large corportation with written regulations and proceedures. You have studied them as they pertain to your job, and feel you understand them well. One regulation states use of PROCESS Q is not allowed in instances where it is not completed during that days work. You interpret this to mean that as long as the process is completed by the end of that day it is allowed, and you have absolutley no doubt that this is correct. You recieve a memo. You are in a management position, with a multitude of responsibilities. This memo reminds employees that PROCESS Q is not allowed unless completed by the employee during that work day. You read it, notice nothing out of the ordinary, and since you are confident you understand the policy continue to do what you have always done. (It should be noted that when comparing to the NFL policy and memo which goes into length explaining what type of taping and from where this policy and memo would also be lengthy and include a description of PROCESS Q). Your belief is that as long as the process is completed that day, you are in compliance. However, the intent of the reminder was that some employees had been starting PROCESS Q and having other employees finish PROCESS Q in the same day, and the corp meant to clarify that it should be the same employee, and they feel that was the intent all along. You did not catch this clarification with no bad intentions, no deceit.
2 years later PROCESS Q is started by one of your employees then another attempts to finish in, screws up, and costs the company $1,000,000. You are questioned, and you say you interpretted the regulation the same way for 8 years. You are asked how you ignored the memo. You say you felt what you were doing was right.
You are telling me that you would ABSOLUTELY 100% be LYING, and you refuse to BE A MAN and admit you were caught. You offer an apology BECAUSE YOUR MISUNDERSTANDING XOST YOUR COMPANY $1,000,000. You are saying you have now admitted that you were lying all along.
I once received a speeding ticket for driving 45 in a 30. I had driven on that road for years, it was a 4 lane road, and I thought the speed limit was 45. There are signs posted saying 30. I saw them every day. I was confident that I knew the speed limit, so didnt pay attention to the signs. When I was pulled over, I asked why I was being stopped, was told I was going 45 and said, yeah dont you have anything better to do than stop someone for going the speed limit.
In your limited scope of intellect, I KNEW that I was breaking the law, and since I said I thought the speed limit was 45. I am a despicable liar. I should be a man and admit I am lying, knew it was 30, and sped every day because I thought I could get away with it.
See, in this example, you cannot say that, because I am telling you what went through my mind, why it was a mistake, and you'd be an idiot to claim you don't believe I thought that. Especially about such a minor thing.
HELLO???????? Sidleine taping was a terriblly MINOR thing in Bill Belichicks responsibilities.
Bill Belichick has NEVER DONE ANYTHING that could be used as evidence of a history of breaking rules, lying or cheating. You REFUSE to accept his explanation because you have decided he was wrong (I am sure you decided that before he ever spoke about the issue).
Your circular logic is he is lying about this, so that makes him a liar, so since he is a liar I put no faith in his explanation because since I have decided THIS ONE STATEMENT IS A LIE with no other evidence he has lied about anything, my disbelief of the statement is proof that he is a liar, and you cannot believe what a liar says.
It is ridiculous. The fact that you believe or disbelieve a statement is not proof that the statement is true or false.
You need to grow up, get a life, and think for yourself instead of letting people with an agenda: ie
Matt Walsh. Sure, the most believeable man in the room has to be the guy criticizing his former employer who fired him for doing a bad job and being deceitful
Arlen Spector. Come on.
Mark Schlereth. You have to be kidding me if you don't think the guy who has done such things as: Tell the story of how he urinated in his pants in the NFL about 1000 times, go on a soap opera, be the 'color coomentator' for a motorcycle jump, etc etc
in order to sooth his cry for attention,
didn't begin to create an Anti-Patriot defense system the second that he got notoriety for being the 'former NFL player who explains to us what this all means'
Any media idiot trying to make a name off of a heavily discussed controversial topic.
Those are the people that you are telling me are more believable about what was in Bill Belichicks head than Bill Belichick.
Please recite for me every instance of anything in BBs career that is not related to Spygate, that makes you question his truthfulness, concern for following the rules, or ability to stand up and accept responsiblity.
You will find none.
Find any hole in his side of the story. Please. Show me the evidence that contadicts BBs claims that matches evidence that contradicts Walsh's which includes:
1) Brian Daboll says he is lying that he talked to him about the walkthrough
2) There is film that shows he was out in the open in Patriot gear when filming. PROOF that he lied
3) There are coaches waiving at the camera, directly conflicting Walsh's claim that it was cloaked in secrecy. (If there was a scheme to cover it up, where is Walsh's comment about what he said to his boss about being waived at by the coaches he was filming? If he reported it, he would have said so to Spector, if he didnt we now believe the intergirty of a guy who couldn't care to do what he thought his job was) This DIRECTLY supports BBs claim that everythingwas done in the open. If it was secret why were we doing it IN THE MEADOWLANDS? Why were we doing it in a road game against a coach who worked for BB 2 years ago?
Your version of 'the truth' says that BB KNEW IT WAS ILLEGAL. Did it for 8 years, 6 of which Mangini was his asst coach. your version says we benefited from it, so Mangini knew about. Your version says BB knew it was wrong, knew Mangini knew he did it, and did it in manginis stadium in front of him. Can I stop yet? At this point you would be a fool to say your viewpoint has any credibility at all.
