Ex-Pats employee Walsh sends NFL video of Pats' taping
After brokering a deal to protect himself, former New England Patriots employee Matt Walsh has finally turned over his evidence in the videotaping controversy.
The New York Times reported and the NFL confirmed on Wednesday that Walsh sent eight tapes to the league that show the Patriots recording the play-calling signals of five opponents in six games between 2000 and 2002.
Taping the signals of opposing teams is prohibited by league rules, and the Patriots were already fined $750,000 and docked a first-round draft choice in September for taping the New York Jets. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell left open the possibility that more penalties could be levied.
A Patriots employee from 1997-2003, Walsh reached an agreement to turn over the tapes in exchange for being indemnified from all future legal fees.
The New York Times obtained a list of the Walsh tapes, and the league confirmed that list, which says that the Patriots taped offensive and defensive coaches in regular-season games against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers. The team also made video of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2002 AFC Championship Game.
Walsh's tapes do not include the video of the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl, as reported by the Boston Herald.
"Mr. Walsh has never claimed to have a tape of the walk-through," said Walsh's lawyer Michael Levy, according to the Times. "Mr. Walsh has never been the source of any of the media speculation about such a tape. Mr. Walsh was not the source for the Feb. 2 Boston Herald article."
Walsh has separate meetings scheduled on Tuesday with the commissioner and Senator Arlen Specter in which he is expected to provide additional details about the taping process.
Under his agreement with the league, Walsh can retain copies of his videotapes, but he cannot use them without the consent of the NFL.
That was actually pretty harsh punishment, the niners pick was for there first rd pick the year b4. It isn't all that bad, yes they are a classless, cheating, slimebag organization, but stealing signs every team does they just did it in a sleazy way was all, if they did tape walkthroughs that is a different story.
I think that the Patriots cheating, and stealing our plays has directly effected the Miami Dolphins. I think they are the reason we have had 12 horrible QB's since Dan. also, i whole heartedly blame them for Ronnie Brown going down, and us having a 1-15 season. Man I hate those bleeding A$$ Cracks. Ha, now i can feel good about the dolphins not winning. now that they have been caught, i think we go 9-7. whoop whoop, Go Dolpins!!!
Dolphins players and Dolfans alike have been calling the Patriots cheaters for years. This is nothing new to us and doesn't surprise us a bit.
I know I may be scoffed at for saying this but I have always felt that the preferential treatment of the Pats by the refs has been way to much to call a coincidence.
Perfect example, two seasons ago, Sean Taylor was tossed out of a game for spitting on an opposing player, yet last year Vince Wilfork was able to jam his fingers into an opposing players eyes and to tell you the truth, i can't even remember if he was penalized. Plus there were waaaaay to many questionable calls in some of those come from behind victories last year.
This is the statement which will draw the most criticism i think:
If it came out that some of the officials have been greased over the last few years by the Patriots to look the other way on holding penalties and whatnot, I would not be a bit surprised.
Also... look how quickly the Refs call a penalty for roughing the passer. Brady gets tapped, and it's a roughing the passer.
Someone like Cleo Lemon gets nailed after a pass with a facemask to the chest... and nothing.
I also like how they decide to make new rules, in the middle of the game, to help out the Patriots.
Also Jabbar Gaffney didn't have possession before he got out of bounds. He juggled the ball. The refs say he was changing hands, well how come every other time a player was changing hands going out of bounds in the endzone... it was ruled as no possession. Great call on that one guys... NOT (pulled a Borat NOT joke there)
I wouldn't say that they paid the refs... I just think those Refs that make those terrible calls just wanna get a piece of Toms kciD (<---it's backwards) Maybe they wanna be his Tightend. They want him slinging that thing around them.
Pretty soon justice will be made against the cheating Patriots and their so called "dynasty" and they will be rightfully punished, as I think they deserve a worse punishment than what they have been given. Go Dolphins!
The only reason that our team has not been winning games is becuase they have sucked, players and coaches alike; not becuase the Patriots are cheaters. This year looks to be different though. I like all of the moves that have been made so far. And with the Patriots most likely not stealing signals this year, we'll have an even better shot at beating their a$$e$.
Last year the Dolphins went 0-2 against the Patriots. The previous two years they went 1-1 with the Patriots, including a game where they beat them 21-0. The Dolphins may have sucked but with they exception of last year, they always showed up against the Patriots and made it a game.
And if you remember the 02 season (well within the time frame when the Cheatriots were stealing offensive play signals) the Dolphins would have made the playoffs if not for an overtime loss to the Patriots on the last game of the season.
If fact there have been a number of come from behind and bring the game to overtime in recent history between these two teams and until spygate I blamed the majority of it on Wanstupid's gutless 3 and out offense to run down the clock and the prevent defense.
But don't try to tell me that stealing offensive calls didn' t help them in those games. Yes even though the offense sucked in 04, 05, and 06, the Dolphins were still able to crank off one W a season against the Patriots.
And besides, this is not so much about the Dolphins losses to the Patriots as it is about the 3 Superbowl titles. All of which were won by 3 points. They didn't blow anybody out in those games, and now we know what gave them their slight edge.
I think it's high time people stopped accrediting Bill Bilichik with the title of greatest coach ever and started focusing on all the questionable calls and YES underhanded cheating that led to those titles.
Yeah, everybody thought he was a great poker player until they found out he was palming cards.
At the very least, I should never have to listen to comparisons between Cheatichik and Vince Lombardi.
Indeed..........This explains the so called "Dynasty" that they have managed to keep up for the recent years. I bet they have cheated in their last SuperBowl appearances
