U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said today that an independent investigation is needed of the New England Patriots' practice of spying on their opponents.
"There ought to be an impartial investigation, an outside investigation, like the investigation that baseball had with Senator George Mitchell," Specter said.
Specter said he first became interested in the Patriotgate story in November, when he first heard that the NFL had destroyed the tapes the Patriots turned in to the league. He said the NFL was not responsive to his requests for more information, and he suggested that the league is trying to sweep the issue under the rug.
Whether Specter gets his Mitchell Commission or not, there's no question that despite the talk this morning that the Spygate story is over, Specter doesn't think it should be -- and U.S. senators have a way of keeping stories alive.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-14-2008 @ 12:53PM
Jon said...
Because just letting it die is not an option.
Keep an eye out for a senator with one foot in the grave out in a field beating on dead horses.
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5-14-2008 @ 1:00PM
JO said...
THE SENATOR IS SUCH A SAD FIGURE OF A MAN. TO WANT TO HAVE THIS LAST 15 MINUTES OF FAME, IS TO BE PITIED. TAKE IF FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH,THE OTHER TAPES THAT WERE DESTROYED, COULD HAVE HAD OTHER COACHES VIDEO TAPING AS WELL, WHICH WOULD HAVE LED TO NO, FOOTBALL SEASON FOR ANYONE. BRAIN TUMOR, SO SAD.
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5-14-2008 @ 1:04PM
murph207 said...
“Just when I thought I was out.. They pull me back in”
Ok Sen. Specter, why don’t we get to the real reason you wont let this go. The fact that Comcast is pulling your strings “purse strings” !! We all know that Comcast is your biggest contributor and you have been pushing for years to get at the NFL for them! You and your boss Comcast want the NFL to loose its antitrust exemption and you want to force the NFL to hand up its new network to Comcast to help fill its coffers and yours Senator! That’s what this is all about. It would be lass pathetic if you were just an upset Eagles fan with a bully pulpit, than what you truly are. A shill for your Comcast puppet master
Murph
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5-14-2008 @ 1:04PM
sue said...
Let it go Senator Spector and do your job that you were elected for and get the oil and gas prices down for the country. Football is just a game and the Patriots are the best.
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5-14-2008 @ 4:03PM
alex said...
tom brady probably ruined his fantasy football season
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5-14-2008 @ 3:45PM
theo said...
We all know Specter shouldn't let this go as long as Goodell is following the advice of his buddy, Kraft - the Patriots owner. Why should a coach get away with flat out lying to the commissioner while players get year long suspensions? Nice double standard
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5-14-2008 @ 2:15PM
Dan said...
The senator has to much time on his hands....He needs to worry about the state off the Country...
Football is business and not part of the Government.
Get back to Washington and Do what The People of The United States pay you to do....
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5-14-2008 @ 1:27PM
Stuck on RT 1 said...
Hey Arlen how many people were shot down on the streets of Philadelphia this week? Or don't you care?
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5-15-2008 @ 3:10PM
AZpatfan said...
If the senator REALLY wants an investigation that's "impartial" as he said, then ALL 32 NFL teams need to be investigated. Not just the Patriots.
That would include his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Senator Specter is a chump with an axe to grind because he follows a sucky football team.
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5-14-2008 @ 2:49PM
lk said...
If his right to interfere is based upon the fact that the NFL enjoys anti-trust laws and he has a problem with how they handled the investigation, then why the investigation into the Patriots? shouldn't he be investigating the NFL's handling of the incident? Because if you are going to look into the Patriots videotaping, you better sure as hell investigate all of the other accusations of videotaping, including asking Matt Walsh who the other team was that he suspected was taping.
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5-14-2008 @ 3:47PM
Keith said...
Being a Pats fan I would love for this to come to a conclusion...I do not condone what was done in any manner in which it was done...I do know three things for sure..
1. I find it unfair to criticise the whole team when it was the management that was in control...so blame Bill and the staff...the players just play.
2. In the entire history of football the Pats r not the only team to have done this, they were still wrong as was any other team that has ever video taped another team...To keep crticising them in the media for nearly a year is just excessive..
3. This Spector guy is off his rocker if he thinks this is so important that it demands so much effort from him...I think I would rather have him try to end fighting in the middle east, or maybe figure out why gas companies need to keep digging deeper into the poor consumers pocket when they know the human race is addicted to oil, maybe work on lowering national debt, help struggling families keep there houses...so in general something a bit more useful than going after the NFL
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5-14-2008 @ 3:49PM
g f mckay said...
Is Spector crazy? apart from being bought and paid for by Comcast, the Michell Report was an investigation into the illegal use of banned drugs next he will call for investigations into corked bats,spit balls and "cheating" in NASCAR.
He is an elected official and should be worried more about the state of the nation and the current mortgage crisis in his own state than this !!
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5-14-2008 @ 4:32PM
Stuck on RT 1 said...
Who's paying for the high priced lawyer representing Walsh? Comcast or Specter.
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5-14-2008 @ 4:57PM
lk said...
Theo,
How did BB get away with anything? Last I heard he was penalized, just because you do not think it was enough, does not mean he got away with anything.
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5-14-2008 @ 6:35PM
T said...
Okay, so where is the money coming from to launch this investigation...Tax payers? Either he has way too much time on his hands or he's not wrapped to tight.
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5-14-2008 @ 9:25PM
Steve V. said...
I guess I'm going to be alone in this, but I think the NFL has done its best to sweep this under the rug from the beginning, which makes me suspicious. Look, I've still never heard anyone explain what the Pats did with this information--and how it was shared with the quarterbacks on game day...was the information used at all during the same game in which it was taped? Forget Specter for a second. The fact is—the Pats have faced a lot of questions, but we still don't have real answers.
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5-14-2008 @ 11:40PM
caro said...
How about DOING YOUR JOB !!! Just stay out of sports, business, health, etc. Your JOB is to make laws. Just DO IT!
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5-15-2008 @ 12:43AM
JSN said...
Walsh, who was employed by the Pats admitted he observed the Walk through of the Rams prior to SB 36 and reported what he saw to the coaches. The Rams thought all Pats personnel had left the superdome and didnt see Walsh observing them. The SB 36 is forever tainted and the Pats should lose the victory. Spector is Right!! This is a cover up.
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5-15-2008 @ 1:16AM
bigsteveeazy said...
specter is 100 percent right for what hes doing.. all u loser pats fans need to get off his strap and let him get to the truth.... NEW ENGLAND BLOWS!!!!!!!
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5-15-2008 @ 1:16AM
bigsteveeazy said...
pats are 3-3 in superbowl play U SUCK NEW ENGLAND LOL THANK YOU TO THE 85'BEARS , 97' PACKERS AND THE 08' GIANTS for showin what losers they really are ... pats should change there colors from red white and blue to tom brady pussi pink , crack head moss black , top it off with a nice douche bag head coach fat sweaty sheen of man love... check out all the youtube videos of new england pats fans crying after the super bowl!!!!! haha its epic lol..... Go Steelers!!!!!!!!! 5 time super bowl champs and would be 7 if it wernt for cheaters!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bleed Black-N-GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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