Former Steelers Barrett Brooks' new allegations and the Patriots' legacy of Spygate
Steelers coaches seem to agree with Barrett Brooks
In the same ESPN article, even Steelers coaches agree that their calls were stolen. They cite Brady’s touchdown pass to Deion Branch as evidence, which they believed only occurred because they had stolen their defensive calls. Former Patriots video assistantPatriots Matt Walsh and whistleblower even started the Steelers game with the Patriots earlier in 2004 was filmed, allowing the Patriots to steal the Steelers defensive signals, which allowed the touchdown strike to Branch.
More evidence supporting Hines Ward's claim is that when the NFL visited the Patriots, they found handwritten diagrams of Steelers defensive signals, including notes used in the 2002 AFC championship game. No wonder the Steelers could never beat the Patriots; the games were rigged.
Legacy of Spygate
Who knows what the legacy of Spygate will be, but at some point, it will be forgotten by most, as the NFL rushed and concluded the investigation in the span of one week. The situation demanded a much longer investigation, but Goodell apparently wanted to protect the NFL first and the Patriots 2nd. There will always be the Patriots fans who call this fake news and try to say the rest of the league was just upset at the Patriots for having a dominant team.
Regardless of the scope of the Patriots' filming, deflating footballs, and even messing with the audio of headsets of visiting football teams, including a game with the Steelers, it really questions how extensive the apparent cheating of the Patriots was. We will never have a full answer, and Belichick nor Robert Kraft will ever be held accountable.
Moreover, The Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles feel their signals were stolen, allowing the Patriots to beat them in the Superbowl. There are still lingering questions as to the legitimacy of the Patriots’ first Superbowl win over the Ram’s and their greatest show on turf.
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The bottom line is Steelers fans never forget and like to hold grudges. While many many other football fans may consider the case closed and have moved on, for us, it’s a question of who’s better, Ben or Brady? Considering the Patriots may not have won three of their titles fairly and perhaps robbed Ben Roethlisberger of a Superbowl in his rookie season, it is easy to assume the Steelers fan's thoughts on the legacy of Spygate.