Seriously, as I've said before, there's nothing I like better than Congress using their time and my money to grandstand about pro sports. And of course, right before the Super Bowl, here we are again. PA Senator Arlen Specter wants to talk to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about why the league destroyed the evidence after the "SpyGate" video taping scandal involving the New England Patriots.
I'll be the first to admit I was never totally at ease with how the NFL handled the situation. I felt that the punishment was a bit weak, especially given that Belichick was not suspended. And the fact that all the evidence collected was destroyed (which was widely published at the time) also seemed quite odd to me.
What seems even more odd, however, is that Senator Specter suddenly decided, about 2 months after the fact, that this was a big deal that Congress needed to get involved in. The article notes his first communication with the comissioner as being dated November 15th. Specter was on The Dan Patrick Show this morning and said that he first became aware of the situation when reading the paper shortly before the Eagles (Specter is an Eagles fan) were about to play Patriots. Seriously? A man who is presenting himself as incredibly concerned about the NFL and its integrity hadn't heard of the story that dominated the sports media for almost 2 weeks at the beginning of the season, until 2 months after the fact? I think there's clearly something else at play here besides genuine concern for the integrity of the NFL.
Look, like I said, I think there are a few things fishy around how the league handled everything surrounding SpyGate, but the bottom line is that these remain league matters. There's not even an allegation of anything criminal going on here, Specter's incredible reach to suggest a possible obstruction of justice aside. At least with the steroids issue, Congress had the excuse of steroids being illegal. There's nothing here that Congress needs to concern itself with. The credibility of the league is in the hands of the league, and if they screw that up, they'll suffer the consequences. That's how it works, and how it should continue to work. So, thanks, but no thanks, Senator Specter.
2 months ago
1 comment:
Senator Specter is, very frequently, the south end of a north-bound horse. In this case, he has served to make himself utterly ridiculous. The fact that he won't be laughed out of the Senate for this tells you something about what self-important weenies Senators tend to be.
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