Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Anti-Patriot actions by Specter, Gary are absurd

February 16, 2008

Anti-Patriot actions by Specter, Gary are absurd

It seems like professional sports should be televised on Court TV rather than ESPN these days. Just days after star pitcher Roger Clemens and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spent their afternoons on Capitol Hill for various reasons, we get word of this latest chapter in the theater of the absurd:

Former St. Louis Rams player Willie Gary (don’t worry, I’ve never heard of him either) and three fans sued the Patriots on Friday over allegations that New England cheated in the 2002 Super Bowl by taping a Rams practice before the game.

Now, honestly, this is getting out of control. I’ll get to Willie Gary in a second, but first I need to bring up the completely idiotic actions of Sen. Arlen Specter.

The poor Patriots, probably still shell-shocked from their Super Bowl loss to the Giants, had to listen to the Pennsylvania Senator/buffoon/blowhard drag them through the coals to serve his personal political agenda this week. Gee, Senator, the timing of your original Spygate outburst was pretty convenient — right before the Super Bowl. Hungry for a little face time, are we? And what do you know, you’re from a state with two NFL teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles) who suffered big playoff losses to the Patriots over the last several years.

Hmmm, I’m beginning to doubt your motives, Senator.

Even the Steelers said Friday that they think the Patriots’ alleged spying played no role in those playoff losses. And in case you missed it, there’s no love lost between the Pats and Steelers.

But really, what in God’s name is Specter doing? He should be embarrassed. Last I checked, the Patriots violated an NFL rule, not the freaking law! You would HOPE that a U.S. Senator would have SOMETHING better to do than waste his time, and his citizens’ money, with this garbage. Spygate happened MONTHS ago, and now he’s conveniently bringing it up? Please. Senator, with all due respect, you are a complete joke.

It continues to amaze me how overblown a story Spygate has become. Videotaping coaches’ signals in the NFL is about as old a practice as walking upright. If Sen. Specter is REALLY serious about cleaning up the NFL he’d better spend this same amount of energy investigating all the other teams in the league too, because I guarantee you they’ve all been guilty of this stuff at one time or another. And yes, Senator, that includes your precious Eagles and Steelers.

I’m sorry, but it’s just not that big of a deal. Bill Belichick says he thought it was legal to tape the signals provided the knowledge gained from such videotaping wasn’t used in the same game. And you know what? I believe him. Belichick’s not an idiot. You think he would really have risked his legacy and that of his team’s for whatever minor advantage these tapes gave him? Let’s get serious.

The Patriots went 18-1 after the Spygate episode. Clearly the tapes played no huge role in their earlier wins. To say that belittles all the hard work of the players and coaches, and fools like Arlen Specter should get their heads dunked in a toilet for saying otherwise.

Now, about Mr. Willie Gary and these other plaintiffs who are seeking millions of dollars in a federal lawsuit because the Rams lost the 2002 Super Bowl to the Patriots.

Are you kidding me, people?! Has it really come down to this? A player filing a lawsuit against a team because it won the Super Bowl. Good God. It’s crap like this that makes the rest of the world hate America sometimes.

First of all, this lawsuit --- crazy to begin with --- is based on allegations. Before the game, former Patriots employee Matt Walsh allegedly taped a walkthrough practice by the Rams. Walsh, however, says he can’t comment on the issue.

The lawsuit accuses the Patriots of fraud, unfair trade practices and engaging in a “pattern of racketeering.” Patriots coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft are named as defendants in the suit.

Excuse me while I roll around on the ground laughing.

I’ve heard rumors, by the way, that the Patriots actually caught the Rams spying during that same week and had to have someone removed from the stadium. But you don’t see Arlen Specter investigating that, do you? God what a clown.

Gary, in case you were wondering, was signed by the Rams as a rookie free agent in 2001. He was released in September 2002 and went on to play in NFL Europe and the Arena Football League.

In other words, he probably needs some cash.

End of story.

You know, a fourth Super Bowl championship would have REALLY helped in dealing with these absurd stories. Thanks, Eli Manning. I hope you choke on that shiny new ring.

Posted by Frank Coppola at February 16, 2008 01:14 AM

Comments

In my attempt to make sense of it all, I've decided that the reason the Pats were denied a perfect season is because of the Spy Gate brouhaha. Those guys deserved a perfect record with no ridiculous punctuation marks appearing. Which tells me that shortly Spector will be exposed for the idiot he is, and next season when the Pats go 19-0, I'll gladly invest in one of these to serve everybody's crow on...

Posted by: InternetGeek at February 16, 2008 01:24 PM

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