I don’t know how I didn’t see this coming, but an ex-NFL player and a few ticket-holder fans have sued the Patriots, head coach Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft for $100 million over the spying/cheating allegations. CNNSI. The player was on the Rams when the Patriots, as two TD underdogs, beat them in Super Bowl XXXVI. Allegations have been made that the Patriots filled the Rams’ final practice which included a couple red zone plays and that Matt Walsh, former video assistant for the Pats, not only knows something, but also has evidence.
At first I thought he just knew something, but Goodell commented that “He has to tell the truth and he has to return anything he took improperly,” and his lawyer responded by saying that it’s absurd that the NFL would want him to give up “the materials” he may need to prove his “truthfulness.” NY Times. So he has something. But Walsh isn’t giving it up without knowing that he won’t be sued by the Patriots for breaking his confidentiality agreement. A plaintiff’s lawyer said that a judge may void the confidentiality agreement where illegalities occurred, but that’s by no means a sure thing. The NYT article mentions racketeering, otherwise I can’t figure out what charges are being brought (fraud?). If anyone can hunt down the papers on this case, please shoot me an email. The suit, by the way, is class action certified and includes all the Rams’ players and ticket holders of Super Bowl XXXVI. The damages include the money lost by the players in bonuses and those nice, shiny rings the winners get (see also this).
This case reminds me of civ pro class last semester where Prof. Transgrud loved talking about an old case brought by a Washington NFL football team fan against a referee because the ref called Art Monk out of bounds. The case was thrown out. Does this current suit have merit? We’ll soon find out, but if it succeeds will you see suits brought by all the gamblers who lost money on the game? Well, the gamblers who placed legal bets that is. This means a lot more than $100 million in the long run…can you imagine how scared teams would be of being sued if a team breaks a rule? Sports as a business would take a huge hit: owners would sell off their team, players wouldn’t sign such huge contracts, tax payers wouldn’t be forking over millions in tax dollars to build stadiums…wait, this actually sounds kind of nice. I like where this is going…
-Mr. MG
