Arlen Specter - You da man. (Cheatriots)

YosemiteSam

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WoodysGirl;1936618 said:
GOODELL EXPLAINS DESTRUCTION

Posted by Mike Florio on February 1, 2008, 3:52 p.m.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed during his annual “state of the league” press conference the question posed recently by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).​

Why did the NFL destroy the materials surrendered by the Patriots in the wake of the Spygate scandal? Because the original tape that gave rise to the brouhaha had landed in the hands of Jay Glazer of FOX.​

“We thought we had locked it up. And it got out, five days later,” Goodell said.​

It’s not a surprise, because it’s really the only semi-plausible explanation that could be offered for intentionally destroying evidence. If/when Goodell is getting grilled by U.S. Senators on the issue, however, he can expect a few of them to be perplexed by the notion that the league office is so unable to secure sensitive information that the better approach is to shred it.
A summary of the rest of the remarks is right here.​


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MEET MATT WALSH

Posted by Mike Florio on February 1, 2008, 12:31 p.m.

Buried in the Friday New York Times article regarding the desire of Senator Arlen Specter are the first on-the-record comments regarding Spygate from Matt Walsh.​

Who’s Matt Walsh, you ask? He was an employee of the New England Patriots from 1996 through 2003, spending most of his time there in the video department.​

Matt Walsh is now an assistant golf pro in Hawaii. And the Times sent a reporter all the way there to interview him.​

As talk goes among some of the folks we know in the NFL media, Walsh knows something. Something big.​

We’re not reporting at this time that Walsh knows anything. But we know for a fact that multiple members of the media were chasing Walsh in the wake of Spygate, trying to get him to talk on the record about what he knows. One came fairly close, but it ultimately didn’t happen.​

Why? Because Walsh is scared. And rightfully so. He’s scared of getting sued into Mike Tyson-style bolivian.​







“After speaking to my lawyers and whatnot, I can’t really talk to you about anything,” Walsh told the Times. “And I can’t show you anything. If someone wanted me to talk and tell them things, I would craft an agreement where they would agree from now until the end of my existence to pay for any legal fees that came up in regards to this, whether I’m sued by the Patriots, the [NFL], anybody else.”​

Wow.​

Folks, guys don’t say things like that when they don’t know anything, or when they don’t think that what they know is important.​

And though we don’t know what Walsh knows, we know what a couple of writers think that he knows. If they’re right, and if Walsh talks, it could have huge ramifications.​

We know that our bread is partially buttered by the NFL, and we appreciate the relationship. But every owner, G.M., coach, and player is a steward of a game that hopefully will continue for centuries after we’re all gone. So we’re committed to holding today’s stewards of the game accountable for their actions, even if it makes said stewards of the game upset with us. One way or another, Walsh needs to have a forum to tell what he knows. He might collapse like a wet cracker under cross examination, or his story might be flimsier than a kite made out of Kleenex. But this guy has a story to tell, and it needs to be heard.​

“If I ever got brought in for a deposition or something, then I would just face the whole gauntlet of questions,” Walsh said. “There would be things I’d be forced to answer that some people haven’t taken responsibility for.”​

To continue where I left off on the last post. I should destory my car because it makes it possible to go over 55 mph. A judge would slap him stupid if he offered that excuse. Ask the lawyers in IBM vs SCO.
 

Dallas

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I would like to add something.

Tyke says it is not a crime to destroy documents and information if there is not a previous ongoing investigation. This is true.

But!!! Don't confuse what could come later. If it is shown in a later investigation that those tapes did contain evidence and the league destroyed them just to hide the fact. That is a crime, and charges would be applied to those involved in destroying the tapes and trying to cover it up.

So - even tho there is not an existing criminal case open now. There could be one open up in the future and these rules would apply to the destruction of evidence.

Discovery, is a strange beast. :cool:
 

WoodysGirl

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THE WALSH BASHING BEGINS

Posted by Mike Florio on February 1, 2008, 4:40 p.m.

Now that former Pats employee and Hawaii resident Matt Walsh has pulled the pin on the grenade and is holding the thing in his hand with the lever pressed against the steel, he is suddenly public enemy No. 1 of Patriots nation.

Maybe it’s a good thing for him that he lives a long, long way from Boston.
Already, we’re being flooded with e-mails from readers who have caught an inconsistency between Friday’s article in the New York Times and the three-plus-year-old item from the Providence Journal announcing Walsh’s marriage.
The Times says that Walsh worked for the Patriots until 2003. The Journal says that he left in January 2002. (The Journal article also paints a courtship story that conjures images of Kramer and his pint-sized pal Mickey fighting over the two girls whose names they’d gotten confused.)

If the dates in the Journal are accurate, then Walsh would have left the Patriots before Super Bowl XXVI, which was played on February 3, 2002. He also wouldn’t have been with the team on February 1 or 2, during which final preparations (such as walk-through practices) are made.

It’s a key point, and it will go directly to Walsh’s overall credibility, if he claims to know about things that happened after he had left the team’s employ.

And it’s possible that Walsh merely is a disgruntled employee with an axe to grind. It’ll therefore be important to know whether he left willingly, or whether he was fired. Was he then unable to find other work in the NFL, or did he simply choose to work for a team in NFL Europe because he thought it would be fun to live overseas during the tense months after 9/11?

Walsh, we believe, will soon regret saying anything on the record to the Times. His words paint a sufficiently ominous tone to prompt those who support the team to begin to try to discredit him. In this specific case, then, showing the sword will likely have the same net effect as using it.​
 

conner01

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there is no crime here folks. the pats broke league rules, not any laws. the league has the right to destroy the tapes if they want to it's their property.
the u.s. senate has much more important issues they should be dealing with than a team trying to steal another teams signals which has been going on in the nfl for ever
 

tyke1doe

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Dallas;1936667 said:
I would like to add something.

Tyke says it is not a crime to destroy documents and information if there is not a previous ongoing investigation. This is true.

But!!! Don't confuse what could come later. If it is shown in a later investigation that those tapes did contain evidence and the league destroyed them just to hide the fact. That is a crime, and charges would be applied to those involved in destroying the tapes and trying to cover it up.

So - even tho there is not an existing criminal case open now. There could be one open up in the future and these rules would apply to the destruction of evidence.

Discovery, is a strange beast. :cool:

I don't think that's the case.

Again, we're not talking about government documents. You can't destroy certain government documents.

But you can destroy corporate/private documents - at least certain ones. The only problem with that is if you are later involved in an investigation and those documents could have helped you, you've destroyed evidence that would have worked to your favor.

But you can't punish people retroactively for destroying documents they didn't know would later be used in a court case.

I'm a reporter. And one of the rules in reporting is that you destroy your notes after you finish with them - in the event that you're involved in a legal case and someone wants to subpoena your notes after the fact. You WILL be in trouble with the courts if you destroy them after you've received notification that an investigation has ensued.
 

superpunk

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WoodysGirl;1936692 said:
alsh, we believe, will soon regret saying anything on the record to the Times. His words paint a sufficiently ominous tone to prompt those who support the team to begin to try to discredit him. In this specific case, then, showing the sword will likely have the same net effect as using it.​

Interest waning...
 

bbgun

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conner01;1936711 said:
there is no crime here folks. the pats broke league rules, not any laws. the league has the right to destroy the tapes if they want to it's their property.
the u.s. senate has much more important issues they should be dealing with than a team trying to steal another teams signals which has been going on in the nfl for ever

No kidding. Apparently we've solved every major problem in the world and can now move on to the secondary stuff.
 

khiladi

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Dallas;1936667 said:
I would like to add something.

Tyke says it is not a crime to destroy documents and information if there is not a previous ongoing investigation. This is true.

But!!! Don't confuse what could come later. If it is shown in a later investigation that those tapes did contain evidence and the league destroyed them just to hide the fact. That is a crime, and charges would be applied to those involved in destroying the tapes and trying to cover it up.

So - even tho there is not an existing criminal case open now. There could be one open up in the future and these rules would apply to the destruction of evidence.

Discovery, is a strange beast. :cool:

Which was my point about AA. The government went after AA because they claimed that they KNEW that the evidence they were destroying could implicate Enron.
 

conner01

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Dallas;1936667 said:
I would like to add something.

Tyke says it is not a crime to destroy documents and information if there is not a previous ongoing investigation. This is true.

But!!! Don't confuse what could come later. If it is shown in a later investigation that those tapes did contain evidence and the league destroyed them just to hide the fact. That is a crime, and charges would be applied to those involved in destroying the tapes and trying to cover it up.

So - even tho there is not an existing criminal case open now. There could be one open up in the future and these rules would apply to the destruction of evidence.

Discovery, is a strange beast. :cool:
video taping a teams signals is not a crime!!!!
it violates league rules, but there is no law broken:banghead:
 

tyke1doe

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nyc;1936645 said:
That has absolutely no barring on the issue at hand.

If I decide I don't support the law that says I have to drive 55 mph or less, I am able to skirt speeding tickets? I don't think so.

Huh? :confused:

What is your point?

If you're driving 55 mph and receive a speeding ticket, you have sufficient notification that you violated the law.

What law has Goodell violated that he has to appear before a Senate Judiciary Committee for an inquiry? :confused:

The more appropriate analogy would be if the police called you up and said we think you may have driven over the speed limit Saturday. Come in because we'd like to talk to you about it?

Would you go?

Why?

What crime did you commit that they need to drag you into their precinct to question you?
 

mmillman

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tyke1doe;1935910 said:
Just a senator grandstanding.

Congress has no involvement in this issue.

You are joking right? Congress has no involvement in baseball either right?

The NFL is a monopoly that is allowed to function outside normal business parmameters at the will of Congress.

The point is that there may be more on the tapes than is public and shouldn't have been destroyed as evidence. Bonehead or smart move by Goodell we will see.
 

tyke1doe

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conner01;1936722 said:
video taping a teams signals is not a crime!!!!
it violates league rules, but there is no law broken:banghead:

And the Commissioner, not the Senate, is responsible for upholding league rules.
 

tyke1doe

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mmillman;1936731 said:
You are joking right? Congress has no involvement in baseball either right?

The NFL is a monopoly that is allowed to function outside normal business parmameters at the will of Congress.

The point is that there may be more on the tapes than is public and shouldn't have been destroyed as evidence. Bonehead or smart move by Goodell we will see.

Please go back and re-read my earlier points. I just don't have the time to regurgiate them.
 

Rampage

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on the espn bottom line it says that "matt walsh has videotapes that could be damaging to the NFL and the Patriot*"
 

bbgun

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A football game, as part of a private enterprise, is analogous to the alleged "torture" of prisoners by agents of a national government? Next stop: Crazytown. Population: You.
 

tyke1doe

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Rampage;1936743 said:
on the espn bottom line it says that "matt walsh has videotapes that could be damaging to the NFL and the Patriot*"

I guess I shouldn't expect the typical "what does BSPN know" response when it involves Patriot bashing. ;)
 

Rack

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wileedog;1936561 said:
Given the governments track record lately, maybe we are better off if they spend their time screwing around with sports.

Post of the Day.


tyke1doe;1936621 said:
But you're missing a crucial point and missing a link.

To the first point, the NFL does not encourage betting.

You have GOT to be kidding me!


The NFL doesn't encourage gambling?

Why do you think it's mandatory for teams to release injury reports every week?

Why do you think point spreads are spewed regarding every game on ESPN every week?

Why do you think they even post weather reports?

C'mon... you can't POSSIBLY be that naive.
 

tyke1doe

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Rack;1936799 said:
You have GOT to be kidding me!


The NFL doesn't encourage gambling?

Why do you think it's mandatory for teams to release injury reports every week?

Why do you think point spreads are spewed regarding every game on ESPN every week?

Why do you think they even post weather reports?

C'mon... you can't POSSIBLY be that naive.

Wow. Simply. Wow.

What ESPN or Vegas does with injury reports is their business.
That has nothing to do with the NFL being in cohoots with gambling.
 
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