How can bill belicheck not be fired after all that cheating?

Excellent question. I would have wanted him fired if they were my team. I think the answer is simple though. Four Super Bowl appearances including three wins in this decade. That’s unmatched by any other coach.

Yeah marina hit it, winning cures any problem. I think there should be an * next to their accomplishments. I would also like to know why the league destroyed all the evidence they had? I guess it must have been pretty bad. There punishment was a joke, they made hundreds of millions off those super bowls. Any of the teams that lost big games to the Pats on their tainted run have to feel cheated.(Raiders, Steelers,Colts,Chargers,Rams and Panthers to name a few)

Because he’s pretty good at it, and we only punish bad cheaters.

I just not sure it would be a matter of “firing” him. The Patriots organization, namely Bob Kraft, would have to be the one to pull the trigger on that. And unless the league forces him to, which they sort of can’t, he will always be the coach…I mean, look at his resume. So either the league puts down some serious sanctions, or he will always be in charge. Cheater or not, the guy knows football, controlling egos, and how to run a program.

He admitted cheating (which every other coach in the NFL did, and probably still does), and it wasn’t a clear advantage anyway… Idiots like you are making a big deal out of it because the Patriots are the best team in the NFL, and the Top Dog on the Block always attracts the hatred of everybody else…

@SenatorBailey. Actually not. “The improbable became reality at University of Phoenix Stadium, as the Giants completed one of the most remarkable playoff runs in NFL history with an upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.”

Also, please avoid name calling just because you disagree with someone’s point of view.

@Marina. They were the Top Dog on the Block when Spygate surfaced. Also, I’m sure they will be #1 in everyone’s pre-season polls.

In retrospect, I should have used the term “ignorant people” or “media sheep” instead of “idiots”.

It’s kind of a Barry Bonds situation. Someone has to go down, and the man/team on top usually does. The NFL has to set a precedent. Regardless, it has yet to be seen what sanctions will be levied. The Pats screwed up, plain and simple, and whatever they have coming, I hate to admit, they deserve.

The distinction between coaching advantages vs. players actually doing the playing are too overlapping to make any differentiation that would make one side better than or more important, rather, than the other. One could say: “well, the Pats still had to go out there and play, etc.” While the other would say: “well, the Pats had an inherent advantage going into the game because they already knew certain plays or whatever it is that they learned from the videotape.”

Either way, they are both right. What sucks is that an incredibly talented team, coaching staff, and most importantly, the most popular and competitive sport in the U.S. is having to save face by punishing the best team in the past decade – also one of the best ever.

Jonny, I see what you’re saying, but I think this is far from a Barry Bonds-type situation. First of all, let me say that my loyalty lies with Dallas, not NE. So there should be no representation of bias here. Just some facts I want you to consider: 1.Arlon Specter (who just happens to be a Senator from the Steelers’/Eagles’ state) achieved absolutely nothing but embarrass himself and the face of the NFL more than it had already been. No new infractions were revealed, and the Patriots’ innocence in many matters was actually confirmed. 2.The Jets were caught attempting to illegally tape the Patriots’ signals in a playoff game last year. If the Jets had won 3 Super Bowls, you would have heard about this before now. 3.Half of the Patriots’ allegations were made by the Boston Herald, who continued this ridiculous witch hunt. These allegations were disproven, of course, and the paper apologized.

No other team in any sport in history has ever gone through so much scrutiny for such an insignificant incident. The fines were levied and the draft pick was lost. I don’t understand what more should be done.

hmmm, I didn’t know all of this. Good points…I didn’t even know that Boston Herald called out their own team – anti-homers!!!

as south park put it. if you are like bill beeeelichek, you can cheat and win, and you wont get in trouble

Yeah Jonny, the media control all the blind sheep, so they obviously don’t report their mistakes.

The media has it out for Belicheck because he is a private, narcissistic personality who refuses to “play ball” with beat writers and columnists.

Everyone has jealous feelings about the Patriot’s success, but IMO this is the real reason why the Patriots have been crucified. Other teams commit the same (or similar) fouls, and the media turns a blind eye.