Lost in the commotion over the punishments the NFL doled out to quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is the fact that one prominent Patriots figure has emerged unscathed.
Call it a simple case of blackmail?
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NFL.com reported on the curious decision by the league to bypass coach Bill Belichick in the disciplinary action over the Deflategate incident in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
And the reason the report surmised is even more curious.
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"Goodell's decision to tiptoe around Belichick lends credence to one of the popular rumors/urban legends surrounding the NFL's curious decision to hastily destroy the SpyGate evidence surrendered by Belichick in 2007," NFL.com reported. "As the rumor/urban legend goes, the Spygate-related information given to the NFL consisted of evidence of cheating not only by the Patriots but also by multiple other teams, in multiple other ways. As the folklore also goes, Belichick vowed to go public with chapter-and-verse detail about cheating throughout the league if the league were to mess with the Patriots again."
NFL.com compared Belichick's situation to that of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton's role in Bountygate.
According to NFL.com, Payton did not know that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was dealing in bounties with opposing players. The coach, however, still was suspended because the NFL said Payton was culpable as the head coach.
The league hammered Payton, suspending him for a year. Goodell issued a letter to Payton, saying that Payton's denials of knowledge "are inconsistent with the contractual responsibility to supervise and direct the coaches and players, and with the obligations imposed on you by the NFL Constitution and Bylaws." Goodell also said "[i]t was your obligation to know of such a program and to stop if once you did know."
Using that logic, Belichick should've been held responsible for the actions of his team.
Besides, NFL.com added, "Belichick has a reputation for knowing everything. The organizations oozes discipline. And Belichick prides himself on military-style secrecy and control. If he truly didn't know, it's safe to say he's livid about that."
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