thank you. Good post. This is a point of contention for pats fans often. personally, i don't know why it's allowed on the sideline and not from the press box. I have no idea. If you see it, you see it.
Crygate was a situation where roger goodell, fresh on the job, over reacted for belichick's insubordination. The fine and penalty was ridiculous. A 1st round draft pick for doing what other superbowl coaches said everyone did.
Nobody knows what "spygate" was when pressed. They often just point to the penalty, and say "see, the commissioner gave you the worst penalty is league history", then immediately contradict their own assertion by saying he destroyed the evidence to protect our name. In truth, the broncos received the worst penalty, from the commissioner before, much more seasoned and respectable, for cheating the salary cap and paying people under the table to keep terrell davis on the team for two superbowls. No mention of that ever though, despite how much more obvious it is.
There was no conspiracy, and their was no "cheating". It was simply roger's first and greatest blunder, and a media that found a ratings goldmine building the simple violation in a technicality of location into the infamous... "spygate."
and now the word just evokes emotion and conjures imagery of belichick's sinister mind reading, all knowing, "cheater" empire that knows all your plays before you even call them.
Completely baseless word-hysteria has tarnished the only superbowl dynasty of the salary cap era.
A loss for football.
pats18ndone