Legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick chose to remain silent on the franchise’s 2007 Spygate scandal in Apple TV’s latest docuseries. While Belichick declined to revisit the controversy, his former players shed light on his reaction at the time.
During Week 1 of the 2007 NFL season, the Patriots were caught filming the New York Jets’ signals, resulting in hefty fines for the team and Belichick himself. In the latest episode of Apple TV’s series, “The Dynasty: New England Patriots,” which chronicles the team’s 20-year dominance under Belichick and Tom Brady, the head coach declined to delve into the subject.
Belichick simply stated, “Yeah, again, that’s all in the past. I’ve made my comments on that. I don’t have anything to add.” However, his former players revealed how Belichick reacted behind closed doors.
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Tedy Bruschi recalled that Belichick was infuriated by the backlash but never openly expressed his frustration. Instead, it fueled his relentless drive to succeed. Randy Moss echoed Bruschi’s sentiments, praising Belichick’s killer instinct on the field.
Meanwhile, Rodney Harrison and Donte Stallworth emphasized that the team adopted Belichick’s aggressive mentality, aiming to dominate opponents on the field. Stallworth noted that Spygate was taken personally by the entire locker room.
However, longtime staffer Ernie Adams remained as tight-lipped as Belichick in the docuseries, choosing not to reopen the controversy. While he hinted at the prevalence of signal-stealing in the NFL, Adams refrained from divulging further details, stating that some stories would go to the grave with him. Robert Kraft also had a telling response when he asked Belichick about it:
Adams acknowledged the widespread nature of signal-stealing in the league, suggesting that it was a common practice among teams. Despite the controversy surrounding Spygate, Adams maintained that it was part of the game and hinted at a culture of counter-intelligence in football.
