Belicheat: Verdict Stands

I think Bill Belichick is the best coach in the NFL right now. He's also a Hall of Famer.

Bill Belichick is also a cheater.

These two statements do not cancel each other out.

Some die hard Pats apologists, however, keep trying to insist that Videotape-Gate was much ado about nothing.

Not so.

Here's one email...

Gents,

I am listening to your breakdown of the Redskins game yeasterday; and one of you guys(out of jealously) feel the need to call Bill and Charlie Weis cheaters.  You should have more of a clue before you call the best coach in sport a cheater, but you obviously don't really have a clue that the so called "tapes" had absolutely nothing to do with their success.  Maybe you would like to remind your listeners that George Allen used to send coaches to opposing teams practices, I wonder how that would go over?  Would that be cheating, or was he just doing what all the other coached were doing; and their wins and loses were decided on the field.

Roger in Annapolis

REACT: Put simply, Belichick and the Patriots cheated. They cheated in a way that prompted an un-precedented fine of $1 million and a forfeiture of a 1st round draft pick. The fact Belichick was not suspended, was perhaps only due to owner Bob Kraft's lofty standing within the NFL's inner circle. None of this is in dispute.

Now how much this taping program helped the Patriots is unknown. None of the principals (Belichick and Weiss to be specific) will address it, and neither has elaborated.

But we know this much: the program was in place for over a full season, and they felt it was so crucial, that they risked (and got caught) the practice after the league issued a specific edict against it.

To me, that means the program was not insignificant.

All that said, I still think Belichick is an awesome coach. He's also a homewrecker, sore loser, and more boring than a box of unsharpened #2 pencils.

These opinions are do not cancel each other out.

And as for George Allen, that's beside the point. Allen likely cheated too, with some of his actions. He was never fined $1 million or docked a #1 pick. (He didn't have any lying around, anyway.)