Bill Belichick's statement regarding videotaping incident and punishment

by tommasse on Sep 14, 2007 8:13 AM EDT in News Comment 4 comments

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made a statement regarding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's punishment resulting from the accusations of the New York Jets that a Patriots employee videotaped their coaches' defensive signals from the Jets sideline Sunday:

I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career.

"As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress.

"Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect.

"With tonight's resolution, I will not be offering any further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for Sunday's game."

Goodell fined Belichick $500,000. Neither the team nor ownership is allowed to pay any part of that fine. Goodell also fined the team $250,000 and penalized New England a 1st-round draft pick if the Patriots make the playoffs or a 2nd- and 3rd-round pick if they do not.

Poll

The commissioner's punishment of Belichick and the team is ...

... a little light

13 votes

... fair and reasonable

28 votes

... a little harsh

14 votes

... far too harsh

10 votes

... far too light

25 votes

90 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 4 comments

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Comments

A little harsh

Count me in the camp that thinks this punishment is a little harsh, but it is in line with the severity of the punishments that Goodell has been handing out for other infractions, so ultimately I agree with it. I have to say, even now as the team I root for is on the receiving end of Goodell's strict ruling, I still think he's done a great job as commissioner so far.

by 6thround on Sep 14, 2007 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

really

Are you as fed up as I am listening to all the hot air bags shouting about how bad a war criminal Bill Belichick is; that he should be suspended, lose his Superbowl rings and the right to vote?

Did you know that it is legal to tape the offensive and defensive signals at NFL games as long as you do it in a way that is discrete and a coach isn't sitting next to you? Here is the language of the NFL rule:

"Video taping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."

So video taping is not illegal, just doing it from specific locations. It is sort of like jay-walking. You can legally cross at the corners but not from the sidelines. What about video taping from a Corporate booth?

I was thinking about this tempest in a teapot and wondered, would it be possible for fans to legally video tape signals and put them on Youtube. I think that would show how ridiculous this rule really is. Wouldn't the NFL and all the loudmouths look silly if all the signals were available to everyone.

Please circulate this message before Sunday and Monday

by forcryingoutloud on Sep 14, 2007 10:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A fan videotaping would be quite a trick

The "any other location" bit is the catch-all, and the league would undoubtedly nail you on that. We're getting a little too semantic here.

I have no problem with New England being punished after getting caught. But I still think it's pretty naive to think no one else is stealing or trying to steal signals. If it's being done without video, it may be technically legal, but I don't have a copy of wherever it is these rules are published.

I also think it's naive to think there won't be more allegations against any number of teams. The real test will be to see what outcry there is then.

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by tommasse on Sep 14, 2007 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Binocs

It's all about binoculars in the stands. I've read all over that it's seemingly commonplace to have a scout or two in the stands peering out over the defensive coordinator and describing what he sees into an audio device. At half time, the scout would attempt to transcribe what he saw and provide the information to the staff. This is not illegal.

I sort of understand why a video camera makes it less ethical. A scout won't have to fight for words to explain how a hand moves and then what formation the defense is in. But honestly, the result is the same.

On a side note, this is Bill's last season under contract. I hope this doesn't affect anything. Good news out of this: Bill has new ammo in convincing the team that they are underdogs. That seems to always fire them up enough to do whatever it takes. Some people questioned whether or not they could do it anymore, but here it is. They can.

Josh

by Josh on Sep 16, 2007 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs