Boston Area News

(WBZ) Many sports fans have a lot to say about the New England Patriots cheating at last Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

The following are some emails send to WBZ on the matter:

Ruined the season for me. Every away game there is sure to be posters with "CHEATERS" written on it. Every sports announcer will begin with this issue everytime the Patriots are mentioned. It won't go away. Everything that the Patriots have done in the past will be questioned by everyone. It will be worse than if they never won a title! I don't even want to watch.

Gregory Davis


THEY GOT CAUGHT, and just happened to be the only one who did. You cant tell me no other NFL team hasn't done this. Teams have been trying to get other teams "playbooks" since footballs inception. Move on! As my oldest son said, "Have you noticed that the NFL haven't come out and said the Pats cheated, just the media and other teams". Its sour grapes from the teams previously beaten. How many teams have jumped on the bandwagon since this story broke? Yes they were wrong, but when they win after this episode, people will find out just how good the Pats are!

Pat Hovey


NFL = Not For Long, I find this cheating scandal against the Patriots just plan DRAMA. It is common knowledge that all professional sports try to get the edge on it's opponents. If the NFL already knew about the Patriots doing this, why didn't they act sooner? How come nothing was done to the Patriots then? The Miami Dolphins Line Backer Zack Thomas quoted to ESPN that they knew the cadence call of Tom Brady and the Patriots offence last season, the Dolphins won that game when they played last year. If theses signals or defense's are so hush hush why is it that you can you use non-video equipment to look it.

There is not one professional team in any sports that can say they don't do this. If they tell you they don't, they are just outright lying to you face. The penalty Coach Bellichek received is just. Fining Mr. Kraft $250k is not. Nor is loosing a #1 draft pick. I don't believe Mr. Kraft had anything to do with this nor did the team. Cheating is wrong but the players could have all the signals and playbooks in front of them. They still have to play the game and it is the best athletes who win the game.

Rich Dejordy


I think it is very disappointing. I have always been a proud fan of what I thought was a fantastic team....now I have to wonder if they have had a slight advantage over the other teams and if the "dynasty" is legitimate.

I will still be a fan.....but Bellichick really has disappointed me.

Beth Brown


It's been going on for years, by ALL the teams – why start holding them accountable now? Who is so jealous of the Patriots being the best?

Quincy fan


Robert Kraft said prior to the Super Bowl in January 2002 that it was appropriate at this particular time (in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks) that a team with the word 'Patriots' as their name should be playing in the Super Bowl.

How ironically sad how, six years after the 9/11 attacks, that same 'Patriots' name has become synonymous with the word 'cheaters'.

Bill Belichick has badly smeared a Great American Name.

And, as if to add insult to injury, Tom Brady kept saying he was PROUD when dodging questions about the cheating.

Very, very sad.

Respectfully submitted,
Joe Lukawitz


I am convinced, that reading the rule verbatim, the league would need to prove that the Patriots were taking the information gathered and used it for that game in which it was recorded. I find no mention that this was the case and feel unless this is proven, cannot fine the coach or the team. In fact, the reputations of the coach, the team and perhaps even the players have been injured and I think that this is extremely unfair.

Thanks

Steve


I hate that Belichek cheated. I am a huge fan of the Pats and have admired their team mentality, hard work ethic etc. I feel Belichek let them down too. It especially annoys me that he was warned not to do it. Such arrogance. I'm a golfer: the essence of the game is that you do not cheat.

I also hate that most men I've mentioned it to shrug their shoulders and say everybody cheats!

In sum, I am hugely disappointed and will never feel quite the same about the Pats again. '

Joanne D.


NFL = Not For Long, I find this cheating scandal against the Patriots just plan DRAMA. It is common knowledge that all professional sports try to get the edge on its opponents. If the NFL already knew about the Patriots doing this, why didn't they act sooner? How come nothing was done to the Patriots then? The Miami Dolphins Line Backer Zack Thomas quoted to ESPN that they knew the cadence call of Tom Brady and the Patriots offence last season, the Dolphins won that game when they played last year. If theses signals or defense's are so hush-hush why is it that you can you use non-video equipment to look it.

There is not one professional team in any sports that can say they don't do this. If they tell you they don't, they are just outright lying to you face. The penalty Coach Bellichek received is just.

Fining Mr. Kraft $250k is not. Nor is loosing a #1 draft pick. I don't believe Mr. Kraft had anything to do with this nor did the team.

Cheating is wrong but the players could have all the signals and playbooks in front of them. They still have to play the game and it is the best athletes who win the game.

Rich D.


If it was against league rules, then the Pats must be punished. But how come all these players are coming out now. Why didn't Hines Ward state his case right after the Steelers 2 championship game losses to the Pats. Or the Philly cornerback after their Super Bowl loss to the Pats?? It was mentioned that Green Bay officials noticed the same type of activity during last year's loss to the Pats, but did not report it due to the fact that this official knew that everyone in the league was doing it.

I believe the Pats prepare for upcoming games better than most teams and the nation is jealous of our success. This adds more fuel to the fire for motivating the Pats to more Super Bowl Championship!!!

Ed C.


What the heck is that about, if there are other teams other than the Patriots doing the same thing why does it matter so much? Mangini is just a great big baby.

Bernadeete G., Boston


I think that the Patriots were punished too harshly. If this were the Chargers or Cowboys the sanctions would have been far more lenient. The reason the Patriots are being treated unfairly is because they are a great team. Stealing the other team's signs didn't help the Patriots win. The players executing plays correctly made them successful.

The league is full of sore sports who can't take seeing a team that is slated as the underdog continuously win. All of the players from other organizations with negative things to say about the Pats are just angry that they can't play for a dynasty. Keep the comments coming we love the jealousy it just proves we are the best!!!!!

Melissa P.


For close to 50 years, I've been a football fan. I watched games with my Dad in the day of Lombardi and Landry. I'm disappointed in Coach Belichick. He had previously gotten extra points from me because I felt something good was passed on to him by his Dad, the former coach of the US Naval Academy. My Dad was a Navy veteran (tough not an Annapolis grad).

The Patriots name has always meant a lot to me having friends and family as veterans or current members of the armed forces. In 2001, I was touched by the inclusion of the Andruzzi family in pre-game activities after 9/11, as my Dad is NYPD retired.

For Coach Belichick to say he "misinterpreted" the Constitution and Bylaws begs the question – why not get clarification? The team has counsel, I'm sure the NFL has a resource that could/should have been used. We have seen that "I didn't know what I was taking" doesn't wash with athletes and the drug scandal in sports.

I feel badly for the Kraft family who has always been honorable and ethical. I feel Coach Belichick, more than the team, but also with the team and "Patriot Nation" will carry an asterisk this year.

I'm glad Sunday night, I'll be more inclined to watch the Red Sox – Yankee game and report back on it to my nephew (an Army 1st Lieutenant in Iraq on his 2nd tour) than a football game.

Sincerely,

Karen S, Marlborough MA


In my opinion they could not have cheated for the game in which they were playing, if this is such a risk then there should be no video cameras allowed in the stadiums at all. Any person could video tape the coaches from either side from their seats, then give them to the team after the games, has anyone thought of this??? Any volunteers??? I'm not the biggest fan of football, but you can tape and send them to the patriots.

They worry about cheating when you can set a person on the opposing teams side and they could even write the signals down.

Not saying cheating is right, because it isn't yet this case isn't what we should be concentrating on. There are many other things we could concentrate on, the wellbeing of our families, our children, and those we hold close.

Susan



It's over. Everyone learns, everyone returns. Move on.

With regards,

Ed


The other day when I was playing cards with my six year old nephew, I caught him cheating and I made it a point to explain to him that cheating was wrong and that he shouldn't do it because morally, it will not make him a good person to know if he does that.

Cheating is just wrong no matter how old you are and it will reflect badly on oneself as an individual and also to the people around them. Sometimes things are better when you work hard and honestly to achieve one's goals in life, because that makes the rewards you get all the better.

So work hard Patriots and stay honest.

Carol S., Boston

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)