Football
More Cheating Accusations Surface Against Patriots After Upset in Super Bowl XLII
By Dylan Vox

Feb 4, 2008

It was one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history as the wildcard New York Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in the last minutes of the game. However, early season accusations that the Patriots cheated this year and in previous seasons has many wondering if the unexpected upset couldn’t just be a result of old fashioned karma.  

It was an unbelievable game that didn’t seem to actually take off until late in the fourth quarter. With only a few possessions in the first half of the game and very few penalties, it looked as though it could be one of the slowest moving Super Bowls in recent history. The Patriots finally jumped ahead of the Giants with only 2:42 left in the game when Randy Moss grabbed a six-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-10.  

Many commentators were calling the game a Patriots’ win already, but the determined Giants’ offense pushed down the field and scored the final touchdown with only 35 seconds remaining in play.  

The remarkable Tom Brady, who has amassed more than a few record breaking moments this year, was only sacked a total of 21 times in the entire regular season, but the Giants applied the pressure and took the star quarterback down five times damaging the dream teams offensive play.  

But the loss wasn’t the only thing that was being talked about this Sunday. Earlier in the season the Patriots came under investigation when accusations arose that they had been video taping the calls of the New York Jets defensive coaches.  

After a league investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick for the alleged incident, but the cheating accusations didn’t end there.  

According to the Associated Press, Sen. Arlen Specter may be calling for a senate hearing into the matter as new allegations of Patriots’ cheating have surfaced.  

Before the Super Bowl began, Specter told CNN’s Late Edition, "There are a lot of suspicious circumstances. And I'm not prepared to make any accusations. I want to talk to commissioner Goodell. He has agreed to come in to talk to me. But there are a lot of questions which need to be answered."  

Specter told the Associated Press, "The integrity of football is very, very important, and it's especially important in the context of the special status which the NFL enjoys from their antitrust exemption. They have a duty to be sure that there is integrity."  

Patriots’ executive director of media relations, Stacey James, in a statement denied that the NFL investigation was inadequate and has said that the allegations against the Patriots are completely unfounded.  

Goodell has also defended his decision to destroy notes and videotapes linked to Spygate, telling the New York Times "there was no purpose for them."  

Goodell is expected to meet with the senator to discuss the league investigation first thing Monday morning.