Patriots’ longtime staffer says he will take specific Spygate details ‘to the grave’

Ernie Adams smiled, then took a sip from his glass of water before giving a forewarning to questions regarding the biggest scandal in NFL history. 

Adams was the Patriots’ director of football research when the team was caught videotaping the New York Jets’ signals in Week 1 of the 2007 season. Nearly two full decades later, there are still questions regarding Spygate, questions Adams has no interest in answering, now or ever. 

“Just so you know,” Adams said on Apple TV’s documentary on the Patriots’ dynasty, “on this whole video thing, the Jets’ game in 2007, I’m not going to re-open that. Could I tell you stories? Yes. It’s going to the grave with me.”

Bill Belichick is perhaps the only person that knows as much about Spygate as Adams, who somewhat defended the Patriots’ actions that led to the NFL fining Belichick $500,000, the Patriots $250,000 and a future first-round pick. 

“The biggest thing everybody has to understand is that there have been plenty of teams in the history of the National Football League who have tried to take signals,” Adams said. “It’s part of the game. Obviously, other people were filming our signals. I know in some cases they were. It’s kind of counter intelligence.”

Like Adams, Belichick also took part in the documentary. He immediately shut down questions regarding Spygate. 

“That’s all in the past,” he said. “I’ve made my comments on that. I don’t have anything to add.”

Belichick addressed the matter back then with CBS Sports. He acknowledged that the Patriots did indeed film opposing signals, but downplayed its significance.  

“We videotaped them,” Belchick confessed at the time “It wasn’t anything that wasn’t visible or wasn’t available. We did it in a way that was more convenient and in a way that we could study it a little bit better.”

Belichick downplaying the significance of what he and the Patriots did is in his best interest. But the…

..

Read More

You might like