945 replies to this topic

[bankshot1]

Nice timing Arlen

Red 52, hut, hut

http://www.nytimes.c...amp;oref=slogin

The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain why the league destroyed evidence related to spying by the New England Patriots.

In a telephone interview Thursday morning, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania and ranking member of the committee, said that Goodell would eventually be called before the committee to address two issues: the league’s antitrust exemption in relation to its television contract and the destruction of the tapes that revealed spying by the Patriots.

“That requires an explanation,” Specter said. “The N.F.L. has a very preferred status in our country with their antitrust exemption. The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. It’s analogous to the C.I.A. destruction of tapes. Or any time you have records destroyed.”

edit: added the Specter letter & NFL response below

http://www.nytimes.c...080201_NFL2.pdf

http://www.nytimes.c...080201_NFL1.PDF

And of particular note see paragraph 1 Specter's letter for Arlen's motivation.

Edited by bankshot1, 01 February 2008 - 07:26 AM.

[DegenerateSoxFan]

Nice timing Arlen

Red 52, hut, hut

http://www.nytimes.c...amp;oref=slogin
edit: added the NFL response below

http://www.nytimes.c...080201_NFL1.PDF

And of particular note see paragraph 3 of the NFL response for Arlen's motivation.

Heh. His Eagles fan constituents still won't be satisfied. Believe me, I live amongst many of those douchenozzles.

Edited by DegenerateSoxFan, 01 February 2008 - 07:10 AM.

[bsartist618]

Why is it Congress' business if the NFL destroyed evidence of something that was not illegal in the first place?

It's not like they destroyed evidence of an actual crime being committed...

[Seagull]

Why is it Congress' business if the NFL destroyed evidence of something that was not illegal in the first place?

It's not like they destroyed evidence of an actual crime being committed...

I'm pretty sure that Specter would say that the NFL has special exemption from anti-trust regulations, and is thus subject to special scrutiny regarding the integrity of their operations.

I'm simply hoping that this giant douchebag grandstand play is so obviously transparent that it will implode. Probably too much to ask for, but the silver lining might be one final "eff you" motivation for the ultimate "eff you" year.

In any event, TMQ must be deliriously happy!

Edited by Seagull, 01 February 2008 - 08:17 AM.

[Andrew]

Overstepping their bounds. Isn't there real issues Congress should be worried about?

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Committee work in Congress actually does deal with issues like this all the time. It's not like the entire Senate will be wrapped up in this discussion. They'll form a small committee and investigate the issue that way.

[SeoulSoxFan]

From the same article:

Mr. Specter, a lifelong Eagles fan who still calls Philadelphia sports radio stations most Monday mornings, said he was concerned about the integrity of sports as much as any fan.

“I don’t think you have to have a law broken to have a legitimate interest by the Congress on the integrity of the game.” He added: “What if there was something on the tapes we might want to be subpoenaed, for example? You can’t destroy it. That would be obstruction of justice.

“It’s premature to make any suggestions until you know a lot more about the matter. We need to know what’s on those tapes.”

I might be completely ignorant of the law, but what "justice" is he talking about? The Hall of Sports Justice? Isn't the PED investigations in MLB an issue under jurisdiction because they were dealing with illegal substances?

Edited by SeoulSoxFan, 01 February 2008 - 08:48 AM.

[Andrew]

It's a silly idea when there was no crime. I can see destroying the tape of a robbery being obstruction of justice, but this is not the same thing. Should I not tape over anything from my last summer vacation? I wouldn't want it to be subpoenaed sometime in the distant future and then I don't have it!

Congressional committee's deal with small things all the time, SMJ, you're right. But generally they're supposed to stick to things they have a business investigating. The TV deals I can see, but basically what Specter is implying is that "Spygate" is on the same level as the MLB's steroid problem. In my opinion they're not anywhere close.

[bankshot1]

mini hi-jack

there's a 2nd related story in the NYT today

Evidence of Discontent

http://www.nytimes.c...html?ref=sports

A Tempe police officer saw some movement in the bushes. It was a 30-something man in a Cardinals jersey, about two hours before the Giants were scheduled to practice.

“He was crawling on his elbows, belly down, through the bushes to try to find a spot to watch,” said Stefan Springstroh, the police officer who shooed the man away. “That is a dedicated fan.”

Or was he more than that?

Teams have always been wary of spies. The Super Bowl adds a twist to the possibilities because it forces teams to take their practices on the road. In unfamiliar territory, teams are never too sure who may be watching, and from where.

“It’s always a concern,” Coach Tom Coughlin said.

Those concerns, sometimes dismissed as unwarranted worry, were given a boost of legitimacy after the spying scandal involving the Patriots at the beginning of the season. The Patriots were caught videotaping sideline signals in a game against the Jets.

Edited by bankshot1, 01 February 2008 - 09:07 AM.

[BuckWyld]

Spectre is an idiot, anyone with half a brain knows exactly what was on the tapes. It is video of a football game, its not like there are nuclear secrets or proof that the moon landing was faked on them.

[YTF]

Perhaps The NFL should hire investigators to dig into Spector's political life. His voting record, who he may have lunch with, who he may meet to discuss political issues with privately, where he has his money invested, what groups support his campaign efforts, perhaps interview past and present interns, pages or assistants that may have worked for him, etc........... I'm willing to bet that he has more to hide than Goodell. Some of it perhaps a bit more illegal (or at the very least testing the boundaries of legal vs illegal) than Goodell ordering tapes destroyed after handing out stiff penalties. It's not as if the taping infraction was ignored by the NFL and the evidence destroyed.

Edited by YTF, 01 February 2008 - 09:23 AM.

[Ed Hillel]

My thoughts have been the whole time that these tapes were destroyed because they contain evidence of league-wide taping. If Arlen really wants to go through all the trouble of exposing teams other than the Patriots I'm fine with that.

He is, of course, still a giant douchebag. I simply do not see how the destruction of these tapes could be considered "obstruction of justice" unless there's some reason to believe that there is evidence of the NFL or the Patriots breaking the law pressent on those tapes. Call it a hunch but I'd say there probably isn't.

What I'd love to see is someone finally bring up the fact that taping on the sidelines was legal during the Pats 3 SB runs and, as I mentioned earlier, evidence of league-wide taping. Wonder how TMQ et al would feel about that.

[JimD]

In fairness to Specter, it was pointed out on ESPN's Mike & Mike show that he initially asked the NFL to look into this in November and then again in December, but they failed to react until yesterday and then told him they wouldn't respond until after the Super Bowl.

That said, it would be awesome if Goddell was forced to testify and then told the world that the Pats tapes showed the Eagles and Steelers were among the teams that were videotaping also.

Edited by JimD, 01 February 2008 - 09:26 AM.

[Gambler7]

I hate to get back into this story, but to add something relevent to this discussion

Pete Carroll is on WEEI and he said they are always looking (for signs, at signals of opposing teams). Said he never understood why it's a big deal, it's like trying to see a catcher's sign in baseball. Obviously he didn't mention videotaping but it was pretty refreshing to see someone not dance around the topic and flat out admit to always looking for an edge anywhere they can get it, including trying to see opposing signals, etc.

[WalletTrack]

Spectre is an idiot, anyone with half a brain knows exactly what was on the tapes. It is video of a football game, its not like there are nuclear secrets or proof that the moon landing was faked on them.

Half a brain?
Among other health issues.

And this
From wiki:

"Soon after graduation from Yale, Specter became a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia and active in politics, beginning his political life as a Democrat. At the recommendation of Rep. Gerald R. Ford, he worked for the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As an assistant counsel for the commission, he authored or co-authored^[2] the controversial "single bullet theory," which suggested the non-fatal wounds to President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally were caused by the same bullet. This was a crucial assertion for the Warren Commission, since if the two had been wounded by separate bullets, that would have demonstrated the presence of a second assassin and therefore a conspiracy.^{[3] "}

Remarkable career. But this is a bit silly.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Probably a losing battle at this point, but let's try to keep the comments thoughtful. I just deleted a bunch of crap.

[Gambler7]

As the rumor mill tells the story, the NFL's position is that the materials were destroyed due to a concern that they could not adequately be secured. After all, Jay Glazer of FOX somehow got his mitts on the actual Spygate tape. But the rumor mill also suggests that the real reason for the decision was that Belichick included in the submission to the league all information available to him regarding other teams engaging in similar tactics.

http://www.profootba...m/rumormill.htm

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

http://www.profootba...m/rumormill.htm

I said something very similar in the TMQ thread on this tape topic: I thought that because the tape that was seized during the Jets game immediately showed up on NYC TV that night (or the next day), that Goddell was embarrassed and wanted to ensure that the materials seized from the Pats during his investigation did not get leaked. So he had them destroyed.

[Carlos Cowart]

Specter of course is just pandering to his Eagles/ Steelers fan constituents but on some level this makes me happy. The severity of the Pats' punishment over spygate wasn't because they videotaped the signals. As has been said a hundred times you could have gotten essentially the same tape perfectly legally from the first row of the stands. The crime wasn't the taping, the crime was willfully interpreting the poorly-written memo from Goodell in a way everyone knew he hadn't intended. This was about Goodell sending a message that he wasn’t going to be fucked with by Belichick or anyone else because Roger is the boss. This is what you get when you ignore my directives then pretend you didn't know what I meant.

So I hope Specter crawls up his ass then publicly spanks him a bit because I generally hate people like that.

Edit: Goddell? GODDELL?!!!! Jesus Fucking Christ, Hesketh, it's GOODELL. G-O-O-D-E-L-L. I hope you die.

Edited by Carlos Cowart, 01 February 2008 - 11:17 AM.

[jose melendez]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as the minority member, he can't do shit in terms of ordering investigations can he?

[SpinnersRock]

And of particular note see paragraph 1 Specter's letter for Arlen's motivation.

So initially, all Specter wanted to know was whether the Pats stole signals during the Super Bowl with the Eagles? So the questions is, did he ask this as a United States Senator or an Eagles fan? Seems like and Eagles fan only.

I think Goodell's response was more than enough. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

So initially, all Specter wanted to know was whether the Pats stole signals during the Super Bowl with the Eagles? So the questions is, did he ask this as a United States Senator or an Eagles fan? Seems like and Eagles fan only.

I think Goodell's response was more than enough. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

From PFT, an answer to your question:

Specter sent one letter in November 2007 and one in December 2007. Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday morning, Specter explained that the November letter was sent as the Patriots were preparing to play the Philadelphia Eagles, who fall within Specter's jurisdiction. Specter said that he wanted to know whether cheating might have tainted New England's three-point win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

[Kevin Youkulele]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as the minority member, he can't do shit in terms of ordering investigations can he?

He'd need to get his committee, which has majority democrat composition, to go along with him to issue any subpoenae. But if Goodell is at a hearing, Specter can ask whatever he wants. Specter also has a staff of aides, lawyers, etc who will investigate whatever he asks them to (without subpoena power). FWIW, I don't think there will be much of a real investigation unless the testimony prompts it, as this does sound like grandstanding. On the other hand, Specter is more friendly with the dems than most republicans, and just recently voted with the dems on FISA.

[gcapalbo]

Gee, what a coincidence that this breaks a few days before the Super Bowl-- and in the New York Times sports page no less.

I have to imagine that the entire Patriots organization is absolutely enraged at this stupidity and on Sunday they are going to take it out on the Giants in the most extreme way possible.

I think I'm changing my projected score for the game on Sunday to 72-10, Patriots running up the score as far as it will go.

I can hear Belichick at practice today holding up this article from the NYT to the collected group of players, and then reading it to the team and pointing out how they are "all against us".

I can almost visualize smoke coming out of Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau's ears as they listen and get more and more angry. Richard Seymour turns and looks at Tom Brady and they just nod and smile a knowing smile.

Talk about motivation.

Clearly Specter is worried about the spread.

[jacklamabe65]

Anyone who worked for the Warren Commission like 'ol Arlen is suspect to me.

[jthursto]

From wiki:

"Soon after graduation from Yale, Specter became a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia and active in politics, beginning his political life as a Democrat. At the recommendation of Rep. Gerald R. Ford, he worked for the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As an assistant counsel for the commission, he authored or co-authored^[2] the controversial "single bullet theory," which suggested the non-fatal wounds to President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally were caused by the same bullet. This was a crucial assertion for the Warren Commission, since if the two had been wounded by separate bullets, that would have demonstrated the presence of a second assassin and therefore a conspiracy.[sup][3] "

Perhaps he'll find there was a second camera on the grassy knoll during the Jets game. The American people have a right to know. Specter hasn't been playing with a full deck for many years and I can't imagine the committee allowing him to burn their time on nonsense such as this.

[bankshot1]

From PFT, an answer to your question:

Specter sent one letter in November 2007 and one in December 2007. Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday morning, Specter explained that the November letter was sent as the Patriots were preparing to play the Philadelphia Eagles, who fall within Specter's jurisdiction. Specter said that he wanted to know whether cheating might have tainted New England's three-point win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX

.

Specter's November letter and the NFL's tardy response to that letter are linked in this thread's original post.

[WalletTrack]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as the minority member, he can't do shit in terms of ordering investigations can he?

He is a former chairman but he is not even the ranking member of Antitrust.
Orrin Hatch(R-Utah) is.
So it must be a courtesy.
Pat Leahy(D-VT) is the Committee Chair... So where is the Vermont "PATFAN" tag when you need it?
Is it wrong to say Super Bowl Week has gone to Crazy² ?

[missinpedro]

The obstruction of justice claim is absurd. If the tapes were destroyed after being subpoenaed then yes it would be obstruction of justice, but until that point the tapes are the sole property of the NFL and as such, its at their discretion what they do with the tapes. Many companies have a policy of destroying all sensitive materials after final review of those materials is complete. I don't know if thats the case with the NFL, but if I had to guess I would say its policy for the NFL to destroy these types of materials when they are done reviewing them.

[Jinhocho]

I think its important to take this with a grain of salt. This is pretty typical behavior from members of Congress, especially a publicity/controversy hound like ole Arlen. Its been understood that members of Congress engage in credit-claiming, position-taking, and advertising to raise their public profiles, increase their reputation, and most importantly improve their perceived chances for reelection. It leads them to do all types of things and when you stop and think about this for Arlen it makes some senses through that lens. The same was true of John Kerry in the whole MLB-Direct tv dustup or when members of Congress smashed Japanese television sets and stereos with sledgehammers on the steps of the capitol in the 1980s. Its all thunder and no lightning.

[Gambler7]

WEEI says Arlen is currently holding a press conference, they will have audio on it soon.

And the last caller had a pretty humorous line..."Arlen should investigate Andy Reid because he has the third biggest drug ring in the country running out of his house" or something to that affect,

[MannysDestination]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as the minority member, he can't do shit in terms of ordering investigations can he?

I'm not sure on the procedures, but this is a political win regardless of party so there is almost no reason to stop an investigation if the committee members can justify a hearing under their mandate. I'm sure members of Congress were jealous of all the ESPN coverage the baseball hearings received. I'd be shocked if congressional professional sports oversight doesn't increase over the coming years. There's no wrong side to take, democrat or republican. Either party can safely say "cheating is bad!" and come out looking golden. That is, until some congressman oversteps his bounds and comes out looking like he's on a witch hunt, when the pendulum will swing the other way.

[loshjott]

OK, I just read the letters. What more does Specter want? He asked if the NFL found any evidence that the Pats had cheated in SB39. Goodell said no, they hadn't found any evidence of that. Note to TMQ: maybe the Pats cheated in their other Super Bowl wins! Or maybe Goodell outright lied to a Senator!

EDIT: someone in the NFL office is definitely taking heat for losing or not informing Goodell about those letters until yesterday. This would be totally a non-story if the NFL had responded in November.

Edited by loshjott, 01 February 2008 - 01:08 PM.

[Reverend]

I posted this SoxScout blast from the past over in the TMQ thread, but I guess I should put it here.

As I said there, I would love the world to see those tapes.

[Captaincoop]

nm

Edited by Captaincoop, 01 February 2008 - 01:30 PM.

[Captaincoop]

Perhaps he'll find there was a second camera on the grassy knoll during the Jets game. The American people have a right to know. Specter hasn't been playing with a full deck for many years and I can't imagine the committee allowing him to burn their time on nonsense such as this.

I doubt it. Specter couldn't find the second shooter when he really had the chance. No reason to believe he'll start now.

[Gambler7]

Some pretty big details coming out of Goodell's Press Conference...

He said there were a total of 6 tapes. All contained "nothing exciting", a lot of the same that was on the tape that was leaked. He mentioned that on some of the tapes there were even coaches waving to the camera as they knew what it was for. He said he felt he needed to take a strong stance against it as it was illegal, but that anything gained from the tapes was little if anything. He also said the 6 tapes were from late 2006 to the pre-season of 2007. That's it.

Talk about much ado about nothing.

Edit: Forgot to add that he mentioned he would love to sit down with Senator Specter and answer any questions, or something along those lines.

Edited by Gambler7, 01 February 2008 - 02:00 PM.

[slamminsammya]

Interesting to note, if you read Goodell's letter back to Specter, he claims that, prior to the Pats Eagles Super Bowl game, they had never played each other but once in the 2003 preseason. Goodell was obviously not very thorough in his research; the Pats and Eagles played in Philly in 2004 if I recall, because that was the game when Rosey Colvin broke his hip.
Goodell's letter

[Was (Not Wasdin)]

Arlen has made some noise before about the NFL's limited antitrust exemption Specter Questions NFL Antitrust exemption.

Senator Specter, a Republican of Pennsylvania, has decided — for reasons best known to him — that its time to repeal the National Football League's antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.

He seems to be awfully focused on the limited exemption, which generally relates to broadcast issues. Comcast is based in Philly, maybe he views it as good "constituent services" to get them a crack at getting some NFL rights.

Or, maybe he's just pissed because he can't get DirectTV.

[missinpedro]

Some pretty big details coming out of Goodell's Press Conference...

He said there were a total of 6 tapes. All contained "nothing exciting", a lot of the same that was on the tape that was leaked. He mentioned that on some of the tapes there were even coaches waving to the camera as they knew what it was for. He said he felt he needed to take a strong stance against it as it was illegal, but that anything gained from the tapes was little if anything. He also said the 6 tapes were from late 2006 to the pre-season of 2007. That's it.

Talk about much ado about nothing.

Edit: Forgot to add that he mentioned he would love to sit down with Senator Specter and answer any questions, or something along those lines.

What the hell do people expect? They were penalized for video taping signs, no one denies that they were doing this and the video tapes confirm this. What vast conspiracy do they expect might have been unearthed by those videos being made public? That Belichick was taping opposing team’s practices? That he sacrifices a kitten before every game and video tapes it?

I found the one man conspiracy theory chorus of TMQ a little bit amusing. I had this image of a guy sitting in a room and holding a multi-party conversation like “don’t you think its suspicious that Goodell destroyed the tapes?,” “yeah, what’s he hiding,” etc. The other day he wrote that the 2007 Pats can’t be considered the greatest team of all time until we know whats on those tapes because they may have been cheating in previous seasons, which makes no sense for two reasons: first cheating in previous seasons has nothing to do with this season, if you think they were cheating this season, which many people do, then fine, but they could’ve cheated every single game of every single year in franchise history prior to this one and it would have nothing to do with whether or not this year’s team was the greatest team of all; second, we know whats on those tapes, its fucking videos of other team’s signals, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I happen to think its not a big deal AT ALL as every team does the same or similar. If you disagree with that then fine, but stop acting like there’s some much more nefarious truth being covered up that suggests a conspiracy to conceal cheating by the Patriots.

It is what is. The Pats did something illegal with an impact that people can interpret however they choose, if that’s being debated then fine. But that’s where it stops. Drumming up some idiotic conspiracy theories to suggest something else is happening is just a waste of everyone’s time.

[Sea Dog]

I have to imagine that the entire Patriots organization is absolutely enraged at this stupidity and on Sunday they are going to take it out on the Giants in the most extreme way possible.

Doubt that, they're probably laughing about this, seeing as to how overblown this story has been. And knowing how focused Belichick is on details, I doubt this story would have any impact on Sunday's game. You don't play harder or want to win Super Bowls any more than you already do because of stories like this.

[Seels]

Interesting to note, if you read Goodell's letter back to Specter, he claims that, prior to the Pats Eagles Super Bowl game, they had never played each other but once in the 2003 preseason. Goodell was obviously not very thorough in his research; the Pats and Eagles played in Philly in 2004 if I recall, because that was the game when Rosey Colvin broke his hip.
Goodell's letter

It was 03 actually.


I think this actually makes the Pats look better, not sure if that what Specter was going for.

[kolbitr]

Interesting to note, if you read Goodell's letter back to Specter, he claims that, prior to the Pats Eagles Super Bowl game, they had never played each other but once in the 2003 preseason. Goodell was obviously not very thorough in his research; the Pats and Eagles played in Philly in 2004 if I recall, because that was the game when Rosey Colvin broke his hip.
Goodell's letter

You meant 2003, I am sure. I mention it only before some of the rabid Eagles fans arrive to correct our errors.

Patriots won 31–10 in Philadelphia, with McNabb and his OL having a horrible, horrible game. Rosie had one sack in the game before his injury (on a day when the Patriots had a great eight sacks)...an auspicious beginning.

[Gambler7]

"You don't play harder or want to win Super Bowls any more than you already do because of stories like this. "

Maybe, but it doesn't hurt when it's late in the third or fourth quarter, you are absolutely gassed, and need something, anything, to give you that last push. That's when something like all the off the field nonsense during the week might come in. Where people questioning your integrity might come in. No, you don't need motivation for the Superbowl, but as a human, you may need it when your body is telling you to slow down as the game goes on.

Football players and coaches do not talk about motivation, etc for no reason. Bruschi actually told a pretty good story on America's Game for the 04 Pats. Talked about how he has his wife's old volleyball # always written on his wrist as well as the numbers of the day his kids were born on. He'll always look at that whenever he needs that extra push during a game.

I know it's easy to say it's the Superbowl and you shouldn't need any more motivation. But the story changes after you've been beat up for 55 minutes and you feel like you can't move anymore, that's where those outside forces MAY have some kind of impact IMO.

[loshjott]

Some pretty big details coming out of Goodell's Press Conference...

He said there were a total of 6 tapes. All contained "nothing exciting", a lot of the same that was on the tape that was leaked. He mentioned that on some of the tapes there were even coaches waving to the camera as they knew what it was for. He said he felt he needed to take a strong stance against it as it was illegal, but that anything gained from the tapes was little if anything. He also said the 6 tapes were from late 2006 to the pre-season of 2007. That's it.

Talk about much ado about nothing.

Edit: Forgot to add that he mentioned he would love to sit down with Senator Specter and answer any questions, or something along those lines.

Those are pretty big details. I couldn't find a link to that info. Where did you see that?

[kolbitr]

Those are pretty big details. I couldn't find a link to that info. Where did you see that?

Try here.

[Shelterdog]

As I said at the time, Goodell really fucked this up from an NFL perspective by overreacting. If he had said "Pats committed a technical rules violation that didn't give them any competitive advantage; I fined them $75,000 and a fourth round pick and got them to sign an affidavit saying they'd never do it again" then he wouldn't be facing a darn Congressional investigation.

[Gambler7]

They had the Pc on the NFL Network...here is some of it from the AP

"The reason I destroyed the tapes is they were totally consistent with what the team told me," Goodell said during his State of the NFL speech. "It was the appropriate thing to do and I think it sent a message.

"The actual effectiveness of taping and taking of signals from opponents -- it is something done widely in many sports. I think it probably had limited, if any effect, on the outcome of games.

"That doesn't change my perspectve on violating rules and the need to be punished."

http://www.boston.co...stroying_tapes/

[Seagull]

As I said at the time, Goodell really fucked this up from an NFL perspective by overreacting. If he had said "Pats committed a technical rules violation that didn't give them any competitive advantage; I fined them $75,000 and a fourth round pick and got them to sign an affidavit saying they'd never do it again" then he wouldn't be facing a darn Congressional investigation.

Very well stated and very true.

[E5 Yaz]

There's a Specter interview available on the Dan Patrick link on si.com. The senator's motivation seems to be the Eagles and the Steelers, covered up by the way Goodell handled this mess.