Spygate Just Won't Go Away

With memories of the Spygate scandal that cost the New England Patriots a first-round draft pick in 2008 and a hefty fine seemingly fading onto the back burner over the past few months, new accusations have once again moved the scandal to the forefront of public consciousness. And if it is proven there is anything to the latest round of reports, they threaten to taint everything the Pats have accomplished not only throughout a historic 2007 season, but from their first championship in Super Bowl XXXVI and everything in between.

On Saturday, the Boston Herald reported that the Patriots secretly taped the St. Louis Rams' private walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI, and that the Pats knew some of the Rams' plays and formations in advance. If there is any truth whatsoever to this latest report, what Bill Belichick and Co. was caught doing back in September will be regarded as little more than driving 65 miles per hour in a 55 zone in comparison.

Taping defensive signals from the sidelines during a regular-season game is bad enough, especially in light of the fact that the league specifically warned the Patriots about it before the season. But if it is proven that the secret tapings of a Super Bowl opponent's practice happened, and perhaps influenced the outcome of the contest, everything the team has done from that point on will be brought into question.

The key figure in all this appears to be a guy by the name of Matt Walsh, who was once employed by New England in their video department. As indicated in an article in the New York Times, Friday, Walsh isn't saying anything at this time, but there are a lot of people interested, included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in what he knows or might even have in his possession. Just to be clear, though, this is all speculation at this point, and the Patriots are denying any wrongdoing on their part. But if Walsh were to produce some sort of evidence, say a copy of the video, it would be extremely damaging to the Patriots reputation and would certainly take away from the dynasty they have built.