BY KEVIN FRIEDENBERG

In print | Published September 20, 2007

Nowadays I can’t even go to the ESPN Web site (http://www.espn.go.com) without seeing some breaking news of one scandal or another slathered everywhere. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like since the various NBA, MLB and NFL scandals of the summer happened, sporting news has been just looking for more drama rather than stories. Maybe that is what a majority of consumers want to read about these days; maybe people are more interested in reading about the Hollywood drama side of sports than about the actual sports themselves. This of course all came to light for me this past week when my beloved Patriots were blamed for videotaping and stealing signals from the Jets in their 38-14 drubbing of the aforementioned New York scrub unit.

What makes this “scandal” particularly incendiary to me is the way that people seem to be writing off the past success of this franchise for an issue of cheating that has not yet been fully investigated. The fact that people are claiming that the Patriot’s three Super Bowl Championships are suspect because of this affair really burns me up. If winning three titles could be so easy as videotaping signals then why didn’t anyone think of this before? ESPN.com reports that, “former NFL players believe Belichick had microphones installed in the shoulder pads of defensive linemen so the Patriots could tape other teams’ offensive audibles and line calls.” Does anyone else find this as ridiculous as I do? The Patriot cheating scandal is being turned into a conspiracy, I believe, simply because they are on top. Everyone in any sport always has something to say about the guy in first place simply because everyone wants to be him.

I think that since the Patriots are a dominant team that has completely reloaded their offense for this year, they began this season under far more scrutiny than other teams. What would the implications be if the Eagles were caught stealing signals? No one would care because not only are the Eagles 0-2, but also few sources had high hopes for Philadelphia this season. I think it’s a shame that people are attacking Bill Belichick and the Patriots over these allegations, which have yet to be fully investigated. I especially find one ESPN columnist’s juxtaposition of Bill Belichick to Richard Nixon during his impeachment scandal to be in rather poor taste. The mere comparison of Belichick to Nixon mars his name unnecessarily, specifically when posing the question of whether this particular head coach will last the entire season with the Patriots. Though it is extremely possible that the Patriots will be found guilty of committing serious violations of NFL policy, I refuse to believe them guilty until proven innocent. Let us not overlook the Duke lacrosse scandal of a few years ago. How the tables have turned in that case.

I personally am glad to see the Patriots put this controversy aside while preparing for their game against the San Diego Chargers, who they also annihilated 38-14. If that isn’t a show of the coaching skills of the Patriots staff than I don’t know what is. Their ability to put the distractions out of mind while preparing for the game at hand shows a certain amount of professionalism and determination. This same attitude is not the sort of thing I would think could be found in association with a team that would steal signals in order to win games. I hope that this “scandal” has lit a fire under the Patriots and given them even more reason to destroy every team they face this season. If you have caught a glimpse of New England this season, then you will see the football juggernaut that is waiting to unleash the dogs of hell upon the league. I pity the fools who stand in their way.

Kevin is a sophomore. You cana reach him at kfriede1 [at] swarthmore [dot] edu.

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