There is no conspiracy!

I'm seeing various things on various message boards, intimating that Roger Goodell is part of a conspiracy within the NFL to elevate the New England Patriots to an undeserved position as best in the NFL. Obviously, this is preposterous, for various reasons, such as the fact that the Patriots are the best team in the AFC right now, and quite possibly in the whole league. There is no need for there to be a conspiracy: the Patriots can and will win games without any help.

Up till this point in my thread, I imagine most of you Pats fans reading this will be agreeing loudly and in Boston accents. I think that my next paragraph will incur a lot of hating. But keep reading, the blasphemy doesn't last too long.

I think you need to get real on the Spygate scandal. You got caught in something which Goodell didn't like, namely taping signals. Matt Walsh obtained (stole?) some tapes of signals from previous years and is now making all the money and fame he can out of it. It's pretty common knowledge that the taping happened, and it makes you as fans look helpless. You're getting a bad rep as whiners and homers. Now, you may not be, and most Pats fans I know are knowledgeable, dedicated, and rather classy. But stop saying that "taping didn't happen". That argument makes you look incredibly stupid.

I, for one, believe that the punishment did not fit the crime, and that the Pats should have gotten off much easier. As it was, they still had a first-round pick, and used it well. And with the fanbase the Pats have, is there any possibility that they'll be hurt by the fines? Not really.

In conclusion, Patriots fans, stay real. Don't overreact to haters; ignore them. And above all, don't say that there is a conspiracy to frame the Pats for taping signals. It's denial of reality and makes you look as bad as those who say that there's a conspiracy to cover up the Pats misdeeds. Prove yourselves to be better fans!

  I don't think I've ever seen anyone try to deny that the taping took place.  Could you provide me a link please?  I'd appreciate it because that just sounds too stupid to be true.  Furthermore, I don't see why most people on these boards are harping on this Walsh story like it's something new.  Belichick already confirmed that the tapings had taken place throughout his tenure in New England the first time this story broke.  Goodell took action and doled out the punishment for these acts already.  What more is there to say?  Nothing new was exposed in this story at all and there ISN'T any tape of the Rams walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI.  End of story.

  I agree with you that the punishment was a bit harsh.  If nothing else I would have understood a harsher penalty for Belichick but taking away a 1st round draft pick is a bit too severe and it punishes the wrong people if you ask me.  It's a slap in the face to the players and the fans to take away a potential starter who would undoubtedly contribute to the overall success of the other players.

Pats_R_#1,

I thought I had seen a thread where someone was trying to call the whole Spygate thing a conspiracy by the NFL to make the Pats look bad. You know the type, some classless loser who wants to stir up a dispute. Unfortunately, upon further examination, I can't find the thread. So I rescind that accusation, having no (video) evidence to back it up.

I think what's infuriating some is that Walsh had tapes of the AFC Championship game. If you go to the NFL homepage here on SportsLine, you'll see that Steelers fans are the fourth most populous on the site. Probably a lot of the hate is coming from Steelers fans who think their team could have won that game, had not the Patriots (apparently) filmed the signals.

However, the whole controversy shows a regrettable illogic on the part of the complainers. The question is similar to that of the recent "Non-3" in the Detroit Pistons-Orlando Magic NBA playoff series. The 3-pointer should not have been counted. It was.  Similarly, the Patriots may have been gaining an unfair advantage in some of their previous games. However, like Barry Bonds and his steroids, it's impossible to know which wins were all-natural and which were not, if the allegations are true. Given this uncertainty, the NFL can only do what they're doing: examine the evidence, behave competently, and try to preserve the league's (already somewhat tarnished) good name.