Season ends but 'Spygate' will linger for Patriots
ON THE NFL
New England stands to be under a cloud of suspicion until someone answers tough questions over the videotape scandal. Bill Belichick is just the man to do that.
PHOENIX -- Today belongs to the New York Giants.
If their 17-14 victory over New England wasn't the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, it certainly belongs in the argument. Both quarterback Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin shed the yoke of mediocrity and, in astoundingly short order, carved out a spot for themselves in New York sports lore.
But long after the last piece of ticker tape floats to the ground, something else about the 2007 NFL season will linger in the air:
To what extent did the New England Patriots cheat?
Say what you will about Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) very public speculation that the NFL participated in a coverup by destroying videotape the Patriots illicitly shot of New York Jets coaches sending hand signals to their defensive players. Some have suggested his comments were politically motivated and timed to steal a few moments of the Super Bowl spotlight.
Should Specter now walk away from the door he kicked open, that will tell us a lot. He butted his way into in this fight, right or wrong, so it's up to him to see it through to its conclusion.
Can the Patriots gripe? No. They were nabbed secretly taping those videos and are not in a position to complain if speculation and allegations keep bubbling to the surface. Rest assured, until the air is cleared on the so-called Spygate scandal and the NFL conducts a transparent investigation that lets all fans -- and not just those of the Patriots -- believe that no stone has gone unturned, the story will not die.
The story will come up at the draft when, as punishment, the Patriots have to forfeit the second of their two first-round picks.
It will come up when the Patriots play the Jets twice a year.
It will come up when the Patriots play the St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers and Eagles -- all losers to Bill Belichick's teams in Super Bowls.
It will come up when the Patriots are playing for their next Lombardi Trophy, and there's every indication they will be a contender next season.
"The nature of the situation is that the media and the public will never write it off and say, 'OK, we've heard enough,' " said Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney. "They'll never say that."
Not until some tough questions are answered.
Just check out this sampling of lines today from newspapers representing the country's largest media market:
