Long before Roger Goodell was universally hated by New England Patriots fans, he might have been their knight in shining armor.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter was unhappy with the NFL commissioner’s investigation into Spygate, ESPN reported Tuesday. Specter wondered why Goodell destroyed tapes and documents related to the scandal, and he didn’t like how quickly Goodell wrapped up the case. Specter called for an independent investigation into the Spygate investigation.
Goodell responded by convincing former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz to make a statement, exonerating the Patriots.
“During a five-minute conversation, Martz recalls that the commissioner sounded panicked about Specter’s calls for a wider investigation,” ESPN wrote. “Martz also recalls that Goodell asked him to write a statement, saying that he was satisfied with the NFL’s Spygate investigation and was certain the Patriots had not cheated and asking everyone to move on — like leaders of the Steelers and Eagles had done.”
“He told me, ‘The league doesn’t need this. We’re asking you to come out with a couple lines exonerating us and saying we did our due diligence,’ ” Martz said, per ESPN.
Goodell wanted to avoid a congressional inquiry, according to Martz, saying “it would be terrible for the league.”
Goodell and the NFL might have tweaked Martz’s statement at the time.
“Shown a copy of his statement this past July, Martz was stunned to read several sentences about Walsh that he says he’s certain he did not write,” ESPN reported. ” ‘It shocked me,’ he says. ‘It appears embellished quite a bit — some lines I know I didn’t write. Who changed it? I don’t know.’ ”
Martz still believes the Patriots cheated leading up to Super Bowl XXXVI, even if the NFL found they didn’t tape the Rams’ walk-through leading up to their win. The Patriots also have vehemently denied such a tape ever existed. ESPN recently had to issue an apology to the Patriots for citing a false report that the Patriots taped the Rams’ practice.
It looks terrible for Goodell to have possibly obstructed a congressional investigation by convincing Martz to make a statement in which he didn’t fully believe, however. Goodell’s sketchy dealings worked against the Patriots in Deflategate, but based on ESPN’s report, he might have helped sweep some damning facts under the rug back in 2007.
ESPN reported “Deflategate is seen by some owners as a ‘makeup call’ over Spygate.”
Thumbnail photo via Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports Images
