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Do the Crime, Do the Time: Bill Belichik Has Cameras Everywhere!
September 18, 2007

by Hal Clarke

Last week the New England Patriots were busted by the NFL for stealing play call signs from their opposition during regular season games. Planting video cameras on their own sidelines, the Patriots recorded their opponent’s defensive signals, relayed them to their offensive coordinators, and within moments were capable of counteracting any scheme put against them, or so the story goes. According to NFL rules, the practice of stealing signs through these means is illegal, and following confirmation during Week 1 that the Patriots did just that against the New York Jets, commissioner Roger Goodell laid down the gauntlet: the Pats lose their 2008 first round pick if they make the playoffs this year, Belichik loses $500,000 immediately and the Patriots are docked $250,000. But the story doesn’t stop there.

Goodell further claimed that if he finds more going on than at first meets the eye he will revisit the situation. Whatever exactly that means no one knows for sure, but it certainly leaves the door open for endless media analysis and a possible way out if things get even worse. Following those proclamations, speculation has swirled that the Pats not only have been videotaping for much longer than one game but may be sitting on a library of defensive coordinator tapes, are intentionally attempting to jam other team’s radio transmissions from coach to coach on a regular basis, and may know where the body of Jimmy Hoffa is located. The last one, of course, is already obvious: he’s under Giants stadium.

In my opinion, this is clearly a “statement ruling” by Goodell. In other words, its intention is meant to give the impression that the NFL is serious about enforcing their rules and keeping things an even playing field. “No steroid cheating going on here,” seems a cryptic underlying message, even if steroids are never mentioned. “Wouldn’t want another baseball debacle on our hands, we’re the respectable league” also seems to be lurking foremost in Goodell’s mind.

Further, the ruling seems to indicate a push by Goodell to move away from the Michael Vick circus by portraying the NFL as good guys cleaning up the act of all those who might stray. Criticized by the media for not immediately coming down on Vick, Goodell is showing desire to get on the media’s good side portraying himself as the decent sheriff in a town that’s mostly good save a few unfortunate incidents. Fine and good, I say, but with penalties not outlined beforehand for particular crimes the question lingers, does Goodell’s final verdict fit this particular infraction? My opinion: I don’t think so, but probably not for the reasons one might immediately assume.

When rules of this nature are broken in any sport the immediate penalty is forfeiture of the game in question. The rest of the penalty is then doled out on a case-by-case basis, but when one team knowingly acts in a way that is illegal and which directly leads to the defeat of their opponent, the game’s verdict is immediately overturned. By not going this route and letting the result stand in the record books, the commish’s ruling gives a mixed signal: it shows teams will be reprimanded for cheating tactics but fails to deal with the larger nature of competition, winning and losing. The fine is a nice statement, the threat of losing a draft pick a definite message, but both fail to react directly with the crime.

And that failure to match punishment with crime, I think, more than anything, is one of two important lessons to take away from this particular bit of Tom-foolery: when caught cheating you should unquestionably be punished with immediate forfeiture of the game in question no matter the other funny business penalties one might add as retribution for the crime. The other lesson: cheating goes on in all sports, always has and always will, and those who think otherwise are naïve fools. Add professionalism and big money to the equation, two elements already in place with all professional sports and more and more with amateur as well and sadly, it makes one wonder how far down the rabbit hole these cheating antics truly extend. So while I’m no Nostradamus or even a Jimmy the Greek, I’m not naïve enough to think Belichick is alone in his tactical methods of advantage. This doesn’t excuse him or anyone else performing similar shenanigans, but until the penalties are made as appropriate and clear as the rules they intend to enforce I don’t blame anyone for trying. And if more teams are acting in an illegal manner than teams that aren’t, it definitely makes you wonder which field is truly the even one.

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Want to tell Hal Clarke he's an arrogant prick whose full of shit? Or maybe you agree. Email him at halclarke@undependentmedia.com

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