Senator questions NFL destruction of Patriots "Spygate" tapes

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) is questioning the motives behind NFL's destruction of the infamous Patriots "Spygate" scandal tapes.

Senator question NFL destruction of Patriots "Spygate" tapes Just before the Super Bowl 42 - the drama thickens. Senator Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is asking the NFL for explanation of destroying the tapes, which were part of the "Spygate" case involving the New England Patriots. According to reports, the Senator wrote to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell twice, in November and December, but received no response. "That requires an explanation. The NFL has a very preferred status in our country with their antitrust exemption. The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. It's analogous to the CIA destruction of tapes, or any time you have records destroyed," Sen. Specter was quoted by The New York Times.

According to The Times, the Senate Judiciary Committee will, at some point, call Goodell to testify and explain why the evidence was destroyed. "What if there was something on the tapes we might want to be subpoenaed, for example? You can't destroy it. That would be obstruction of justice," said Sen. Specter. NFL is blaming the postal service - a spokesman for the league told The Times that the letters from the Senator did not reach NFL until last week.

The "Spygate" scandal came to life on September 9th, when New York Jets security officials caught a Patriots assistant recording the Jets' defensive signals during the Patriots - Jets game. The tapes were confiscated by NFL and later destroyed. The league fined the Patriots $250,000 and stripped them from a first-round pick in the 2008 draft, as well as fined the Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000.

Published on 02/01/2008