Massarotti: Belichick Defending Legacy Amid DeflateGate Controversy
PHOENIX (CBS) – Bill Belichick stood there and lectured on physics as if he were Vincent Gambini himself, talking about climate and air pressure as if they were magic grits. All that was missing was the 18th century garb from the second-hand store, all because the only cleaners in town was closed on account of the flu.
You got that?
The whole store had the flu.
Sick of this yet? You bet you are, because we all know the truth, no matter how Belichick hopes and wants this to all go away – just because he said so. It isn't. At least not yet. The Patriots will travel to Arizona today in anticipation of Super Bowl XLIX against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, who arrived in town on Sunday night. Within relative minutes, Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman was jabbing Belichick, the Patriots and the NFL in the ribs with the kind of sharp retort that makes Sherman who he is.
"Will they be punished? Probably not - not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes," said the Seattle defensive back. "You talk about conflict of interest. As long as that happens, it won't affect them at all. Nothing will stop them."
So there you have it, folks. The Super Bowl is now just days away. The Patriots still have a credibility problem. So does the NFL. By the end of this thing, only one of them is likely to gain any measure of credibility back.
Let's back up here for a moment. Among the most rabid Patriots supporters in our corner of the country, Belichick is being celebrated like some kind of master defense attorney, which is fine. Unlike Thursday, when Belichick's defense of his team looked uncomfortable, scripted and downright forced, Belichick was far more passionate in defense of his players, operation and team over the weekend. Whether that makes him entirely honest is still up for debate, and it will remain up for debate for some time, perhaps forever.
Roger Clemens still claims he is telling the truth, too. How many of you believe him?
In the end, here is what Belichick is really defending: his own legacy. On Saturday, incredibly, he still denied any wrongdoing in Spygate, which is somewhat comical given that it cost the coach and team $750,000 and a first-round draft pick. Whether videotaping the opposing sideline actually helped the Patriots significantly remains open to debate – most of us defend the Pats on this one – but that is hardly the point.
The real issue: there were complaints. So the league issued an edict. And Belichick ignored it. Seven years later, Belichick is still trying to defend his actions when the simple truth is that he doesn't want anyone telling him what to do or how to act, which is downright impossible when you belong to a league where everyone's interests have to be served.
Um, Bill? None of like us oppression. Fighting the fight is a noble trait, to be sure, but you've got to pick your battles.
Here's the other thing: at times on Saturday, Belichick seemed like a man appalled – "Embarrassed," was his actual word – that he had to spend any time defending himself at all over something as seemingly trivial as the amount of air in the footballs. That stance suggests a complete lack of understanding as to how much Spygate damaged his reputation, which is one of the great head-scratchers of all-time.
Belichick, after all, is a man to whom legacy is very important, which creates a stunning paradox in terms of his behavior. On the one hand, he shapes our narrative of him as a brilliant football coach. On the other, he undermines it with rebellious, needless petulance. What Belichick never figured out is that we control his legacy because the public is always the judge and jury.
You compile the body of work, Bill. But in terms of where it rates, the rest of the world decides. That is impossible for any single person to control.
How the Patriots will respond this week is anybody's guess, but the real work for Super Bowl XLIX will begin later this week. Today is a travel day. Tomorrow, the Patriots must deal with the monotony and nonsense that is media day, where the air pressure in the football is almost certain to remain a rather significant topic. (Sorry, Bill.) After that, both the Patriots and Seahawks will immerse themselves in their standard game-week routines, something in which Belichick, the Patriots and the NFL will undoubtedly find great comfort.
Until then, prepare for more from the theater of the absurd.
Tony Massarotti co-hosts the Felger and Massarotti Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub weekdays from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti. You can read more from Tony by clicking here.
