Goodell believes penalty will deter spying
The contents of the Patriots' now infamous videotape of the Jets' defensive signals was enough to cause the possible strip of a first-round pick and a $750,000 fine. But what exactly was on that tape that caused Commissioner Roger Goodell to take swift action?
FOX Sports has attained portions of the tape and the evidence appears to warrant such a stiff penalty.
The tape was filmed from the point of view of New England video assistant Matt Estrella as he lined up at the Patriots' 20-yard line then clearly zoomed in on three to four Jets assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. The film shows a shot of the defensive signals and then, without cutting away, pans up to the scoreboard to record the time of the game as well as down-and-distance.
In the clips obtained by FOX Sports, Estrella begins filming from the 20 to the left of the bench for a handful of plays before shifting to the 20 to the right of the bench and again zooms in on the signals followed by scoreboard. Finally, he shifts back to the original spot once again.
It's unclear if there had been actual plays on the film as well.
Obviously, there are several plots and subplots into NFL Espionage Episode 101 that have come to light or have been lobbed in accusations. The following are points that have come up in a week that has resembled more of a Robert Ludlum Bourne espionage movie than opening week of the NFL season:
# Perhaps the biggest question brought up this week was: Why not suspend Bill Belichick? The answer is easy — a first-round pick is a pot of gold in the NFL, a suspension of a coach is somewhat unenforceable.
"A first round pick in this league is the stiffest penalty ever handed down for a violation like this," Commissioner Roger Goodell told FOX Sports on Sunday morning. "I talked to players from other teams about this who also had concerns over why he wasn't suspended. The issue is, how do you really enforce a suspension?
"Plus, there was more than just one person involved in this. This wasn't a one-man operation.
"A first-round draft pick will definitely deter in the future. Plus, I can promise you this. That $500,000 will be paid by Belichick, not ownership."
Indeed, considering how specific coaching has become nowadays, even if Belichick isn't on the sideline, his true value is about the gameplan and preparation during the week. Even if he isn't at the stadium, how do you make sure he isn't putting together the gameplan?
The other issue Patriots players had is: Why punish us for something we had nothing to do with? The players felt by taking away their coach, they get unfairly punished.
# There have also been rumblings this week of additional allegations from last week's Pats-Jets game, including interference in the Jets' speaker system from coach to quarterback. Throw in word of additional audio receivers found on the Patriots' sideline that interfered with the referee's frequency as well.
"We looked into those allegations as well but we couldn't find any proof of that," said Goodell. "You can't punish somebody without proof."
# The idea is to use these clips not for the current game but rather a future game. You cut up the signals, sync them up with the normal coach's game film and then during a game, when an assistant in the booth sees these hand signals, he can radio down the coaches what coverage or blitzes are being called.
"My job is to ensure a level playing field, that everyone follows the same rules," said Goodell. "The loss of a first-round pick will absolutely make people think twice about doing this in the future."
FOX Sports has attained portions of the tape and the evidence appears to warrant such a stiff penalty.
The tape was filmed from the point of view of New England video assistant Matt Estrella as he lined up at the Patriots' 20-yard line then clearly zoomed in on three to four Jets assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. The film shows a shot of the defensive signals and then, without cutting away, pans up to the scoreboard to record the time of the game as well as down-and-distance.
In the clips obtained by FOX Sports, Estrella begins filming from the 20 to the left of the bench for a handful of plays before shifting to the 20 to the right of the bench and again zooms in on the signals followed by scoreboard. Finally, he shifts back to the original spot once again.
It's unclear if there had been actual plays on the film as well.
Obviously, there are several plots and subplots into NFL Espionage Episode 101 that have come to light or have been lobbed in accusations. The following are points that have come up in a week that has resembled more of a Robert Ludlum Bourne espionage movie than opening week of the NFL season:
# Perhaps the biggest question brought up this week was: Why not suspend Bill Belichick? The answer is easy — a first-round pick is a pot of gold in the NFL, a suspension of a coach is somewhat unenforceable.
"A first round pick in this league is the stiffest penalty ever handed down for a violation like this," Commissioner Roger Goodell told FOX Sports on Sunday morning. "I talked to players from other teams about this who also had concerns over why he wasn't suspended. The issue is, how do you really enforce a suspension?
"Plus, there was more than just one person involved in this. This wasn't a one-man operation.
"A first-round draft pick will definitely deter in the future. Plus, I can promise you this. That $500,000 will be paid by Belichick, not ownership."
Indeed, considering how specific coaching has become nowadays, even if Belichick isn't on the sideline, his true value is about the gameplan and preparation during the week. Even if he isn't at the stadium, how do you make sure he isn't putting together the gameplan?
The other issue Patriots players had is: Why punish us for something we had nothing to do with? The players felt by taking away their coach, they get unfairly punished.
# There have also been rumblings this week of additional allegations from last week's Pats-Jets game, including interference in the Jets' speaker system from coach to quarterback. Throw in word of additional audio receivers found on the Patriots' sideline that interfered with the referee's frequency as well.
"We looked into those allegations as well but we couldn't find any proof of that," said Goodell. "You can't punish somebody without proof."
# The idea is to use these clips not for the current game but rather a future game. You cut up the signals, sync them up with the normal coach's game film and then during a game, when an assistant in the booth sees these hand signals, he can radio down the coaches what coverage or blitzes are being called.
"My job is to ensure a level playing field, that everyone follows the same rules," said Goodell. "The loss of a first-round pick will absolutely make people think twice about doing this in the future."
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