This is the first good news that Michael Vick has received in a LONG time. He is no longer the headline in the sports world. Vick has already added you to his Christmas card list, gentlemen. He sends his utmost gratitude.
On Sunday, at Giants Stadium in New York, a Patriots video assistant, who was standing near the Jets bench, was approached by league security officials and had his camera and videotape confiscated in the middle of the first quarter. The league has also stated there were ‘irregularities’ with the Patriots radio signals during the game.
The scandal surrounding Bellichick and his Patriots is just another in a long line of recent events that make us all question the validity of professional sports. Is it always on the up and up? Is it EVER on the up and up?
This year alone has brought us the NBA gambling story, more MLB steroid accusations, and several NFL suspensions stemming from performance-enhancing substances. And, now this. An NFL team being caught red-handed stealing plays by audio and video during week 1 of the season.
The Patriots and some major sports media outlets are doing their best to downplay the fiasco. It was a misinterpretation of the rules, the Pats say. The official NFL rule regarding coaching video states, “No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches’ booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game.” Yes, I can see how that verbiage would confuse the Patriots.
It’s just a fluke, the media who depend on the popularity of the NFL to drive ratings say. But is it? Doesn’t a team, regardless of the sport, have an unfair advantage if just ONE of their players is taking performance enhancers? We all know how rampant these items are in all of the major sports, most likely touching every organization in some fashion.
Stealing signs, corked bats, and pitching aids of many kinds have been tactics used by many MLB players and teams through the years. And game-fixing has reared its’ ugly head from time to time in the sporting world. Is it that far-fetched to think that some form of these things happen every day in the sports world?
The Patriots and those who depend on the NFL for their paychecks will continue to hope that this all goes away quickly, but it will not. The chant of ‘cheaters’ is only going to grow stronger, especially from the cities of Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, who can only wonder if they were also ‘cheated’ out of a championship (or multiple championships in the case of the AFC foes).
Knowing there will be a huge outcry, if any sport is capable of overcoming something like this, it IS the NFL. Fans won’t stop watching. Everyone still has a chance to win their fantasy football leagues at this point in the year, right?
