Specter Calls for Independent Investigation

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today called for the NFL to appoint an independent investigator to look into the videotaping scandal involving the New England Patriots.

"What is necessary is an objective investigation," Specter said during a Capitol Hill news conference. "This one has not been objective."

Specter, the ranking Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stopped short of pledging to lobby the committee chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), for hearings on the issue if the NFL does not comply. That, he said, would depend on the public's reaction.

On Tuesday, Specter met in Washington with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh hours after Walsh met in New York with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials. Goodell said after his meeting with Walsh that he did not plan to impose further penalties on the Patriots.

Specter has been critical of the league's investigation of the scandal and he remained that way today, saying the NFL has a "conflict of interest" because a full investigation of the Patriots' actions might undermine the public's confidence in the integrity of the sport. Specter said the league should use an outside investigator as baseball did when it appointed former senator George Mitchell to issue a report on steroid use in that sport.

By Mark Maske |  May 14, 2008; 2:06 PM ET  | Category:  League , Patriots
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What is it that Specter thinks the NFL/public don't know? The NFL has said the Patriots videotaped contrary to the rules. Apparently the videotapes weren't used in the same games, but only in later games, but that still violates the rules. It's of course debatable what advantage the Pats got from all this (none, a little, a lot).

So what does Specter want? More punishment?* That's really all that an "independent" investigation would turn up.


*Or the NFL Network to stop bugging Comcast?

Posted by: ah | May 14, 2008 3:01 PM

I don't like picking on someone who's battling cancer, but jeez, can't a U.S. Senator find something better to spend his time on than the extent to which one team in a professional sports league cheated? Like, maybe, the war in Iraq or the collapsing housing market in this country?

Posted by: rbpalmer | May 14, 2008 3:15 PM

It's time for Spector to go. I hope his constituents realize how much time he's wasting on this and get someone else in there.

Posted by: Rich | May 14, 2008 4:34 PM

Hold on a second here Spector is right on this front Goodell has conflict of interest in some sense think about it Goodell can't run the investigation because he runs the League he has to protect not only the league but also rest of the teams as well Spygate is not over until Goodell assigned independent invesigator on this matter but the problem is that he destroyed the damaging tapes when he received them from the pats.

Posted by: | May 14, 2008 4:48 PM

Is there any reason to think that the tapes shown yesterday are less incriminating that the tapes that were destroyed? Fox showed a part of one of the Jets tapes and it was the same thing: Focus on signals, focus on scoreboard, focus on play, [lather rinse] repeat.

Posted by: ah | May 14, 2008 8:34 PM

Mark - sent you an email with a question and a lead. The email address is real.

By the way, I'm a Pats fan and not much of a 'Skins follower (I root for the 'Skins but don't follow them in detail).

Posted by: jon (PTBNL on Chico's blog) | May 15, 2008 8:52 AM

Hold on a second here Spector is right on this front Goodell has conflict of interest in some sense think about it Goodell can't run the investigation because he runs the League he has to protect not only the league but also rest of the teams as well Spygate is not over until Goodell assigned independent invesigator on this matter but the problem is that he destroyed the damaging tapes when he received them from the pats.

Posted by: | May 14, 2008 4:48 PM

Perhaps Goodell does have a conflict, but that doesn't change the fact that this is one professional sports team getting caught cheating, and Spector is threatening to ask for congressional hearings. Cheating (or gamesmanship or whatever you want to call it) goes on all the time in pro sports, and has for decades, and somehow we've managed to muddle through with the morals of America's youth relatively intact without getting Congress involved. Sign stealing in baseball has probably been going on since signs started being used in the game, yet no one outside of the game ever raises a big stink about that, nor should they. It should be handled within the sport, as "spygate" should be. Spector should find something else to spend his time on.

Posted by: rbpalmer | May 15, 2008 2:32 PM

spector has that legal exemption he can use as a leverage and in my opinion unless he makes a valid threat to use that exemption the NFL would be in serious trouble in this sense all of the small market teams that the NFl is making money off of they won't be able to compete with the larger market teams such as the skins Gians Cowboys Pats Texans to name a few the teams that wouls be in trouble would be Packers, Steelers, Bears, Bengals,Jaguars, Colts and so on digest that theory for a minute.

Posted by: | May 15, 2008 5:24 PM

Let's try a different approach here.

INVESTIGATE THE ENTIRE LEAGUE MR. SPECTOR If you're truly concerned about the integrity of the game and not just smearing the Patriots name in mud, INVESTIGATE THE ENTIRE LEAGUE!!! Then we'll see just how many teams were flying below the radar doing very similar things if not the same thing. The Mitchell Report was not a personal vendetta against any one individual or team, it was league wide. I for one would love this because it would show the Pat's didn't do anything above and beyond any other team in this league. Do it the right way, every team including your home state Eagles and Steelers included. Even attempt it and every other owner will swallow there tongue. Don't let this Patriot team be the example for the entire league, go after everyone if your intensions are pure. I would love to hear what other cities fans would say then.

I would like to see Mr. Kraft go public and challenge Mr. Spector to investigate the LEAGUE.

It won't happen because they only want a Witch Hunt!

Posted by: | May 17, 2008 8:24 AM

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