From the PFT story on all this - "[Coach Bill] Belichick was fined $500,000, the team was fined $250,00 and they lost a first-round draft choice. That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found."
The Patriots punishment was handed down BEFORE the tapes were turned over. Goodell determined the punishment based on Belichick's explanation of his interpretation of the rules, and on the fact that he, Goodell, thought it was bull**** and, therefore, punishable. He then said IF WE FIND ANYTHING ELSE (ON THE TAPES THE PATS HAD JUST HANDED OVER) we'll bump up the punishment, which clearly he did not.
Shula's comment about "what they found" suggests that there's some Holy Secret on the those tapes that must've been SOOOO bad that it warranted $750K in fines and the taking away of a #1 pick. But when the penalty was assessed, GOODELL HADN'T EVEN SEEN THE PATRIOTS TAPES YET.
Shula is a bitter old douchebag still pissed off that even his continual manipulation of the competition committee couldn't prevent a furlough worker from snow-plowing away a victory for him on an ugly day in Foxboro. If anything, this plainly desperate plea to be the only undefeated team makes SHULA look worse.
Thanks for the motivation, Don.
