FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 12 — New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, embroiled in a controversy over whether he had a staff member break N.F.L. rules by videotaping opposing coaches’ signals, took a page from the Jason Giambi handbook of damage control Wednesday.
Belichick apologized without saying what he was apologizing for, and acknowledged that he had talked with Commissioner Roger Goodell about the videotaping that occurred during Sunday’s season opener against the Jets and his “interpretation of the rules.”
Battista is correct, of course. But there's still something very, very now about a sportswriter for a New York-based newspaper, which controls the Boston Globe and owns 17 percent of the Red Sox, using a Yankee-steroid reference to aptly describe the communication mode of the architect of New England's football dynasty.
Until recently, the Patriots had a pristine public image and Belichick had become an icon in a hoodie, his coaching brilliance celebrated with each victory. But with these allegations following by less than two weeks the suspension of safety Rodney Harrison for using human growth hormone, the Patriots, a model franchise that has won three Super Bowls since the 2001 season, are being sullied for the first time.
The Patriots’ Robert K. Kraft, one of the most powerful owners in football, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. But at a public appearance Tuesday, he suggested that professional jealousy might make the Patriots targets.
Giants Coach Tom Coughlin and Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged this week that stealing signals was a league-wide concern. But since news of the investigation became public, few members of the N.F.L. fraternity have come to the Patriots’ defense. Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson articulated publicly what others have only whispered privately.
“I think the Patriots actually live by the saying, ‘If you’re not cheatin’, you’re not trying,’ ” Tomlinson told San Diego reporters with a laugh Tuesday. “You keep hearing the different stories of people complaining about stuff that they do. So I’m not surprised.”
The Patriots have been suspected in league circles for at least a year of trying to videotape opposing coaches in an attempt to steal their signals. On a crowded sideline it would not be difficult for a video operator to blend in. The same employee who was caught at the Jets game, the video assistant Matt Estrella, was caught at Lambeau Field last year after the Green Bay Packers were alerted that the Patriots might try to videotape their coaches.
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