Posted at 12:44 p.m., Sunday, February 3, 2008
NFL: Specter not satisfied with answers on spy case
Associated Press
Sen. Arlen Specter isn't satisfied with the NFL's answers about its Spygate investigation and said it's still possible the New England Patriots cheating scandal could result in Senate hearings.Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sunday reiterated comments he made Friday in which he questioned NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's investigation into the spying allegations and his decision to destroy video evidence uncovered by the league earlier this season.
"There are a lot of suspicious circumstances. And I'm not prepared to make any accusations," Specter said Sunday morning on CNN's "Late Edition." ''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 referred to a story in Sunday's editions of the New York Times in which former prosecutors questioned the thoroughness of the league's investigation. It took no more than 12 days to complete, and allowed the Patriots to decide what material in violation of league rules it turned over, the Times said.
"People are implying that this is some type of cover up," Goodell said Sunday on ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show. "I think it's exactly the opposite. We were the ones who brought these facts out to light. We were the ones who took the unprecedented discipline to send a very strong message to people — don't violate the rules."
The comments were made hours before the Patriots played the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Early this season, Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick after the Patriots were accused of videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches as they signaled to players.
On Saturday, the Boston Herald reported that an unidentified source said a member of the Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' last walkthrough before they played in the 2002 Super Bowl. The Patriots beat the favored Rams the next day 20-17 for their first NFL title.
Specter said he questioned why Matt Walsh, who did video work for the Patriots during that time, was not interviewed as part of the investigation.
Specter said he believes there were holes in Goodell's investigation of the allegations and plans to call him Monday.
"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," Specter said. "They have a duty to be sure that there is integrity."
