When it comes to the infamous “Spygate” scandal involving the New England Patriots, Bill Cowher, former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has an unusual stance.
“We didn’t lose the game because of that,” Cowher said. “We lost the game because they executed better than we did.”
During a conversation with Ed Bouchette of The Athletic, Cowher clarified that his memoir “Heart and Steel” does not include the scandal because he doesn’t perceive it as having affected the games’ outcomes.
The 2007 “Spygate” scandal revolved around the Patriots’ illegal taping of their opponents’ defensive signals, a revelation that cost the Patriots a fine of $250,000 along with a first-round draft pick. Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots, was personally fined $500,000.
An ESPN report in 2015 affirmed that the team had an archive of tapes and handwritten insights about opponents’ signals from 200 onwards.
Among these were notes about Pittsburgh’s defense utilized in New England’s 24-17 triumph in the 2001 AFC Championship Game.
The Patriots also defeated the Steelers 41-27 in the 2004 AFC championship game. Despite these crucial victories, Cowher maintains that the Patriots’ prior knowledge of Steelers’ defensive signals, gained illicitly, did not sway the results of the games.
During his interview with The Athletic, Cowher drew a curious analogy to the Patriots’ actions. He compared it to an incident in which he surreptitiously placed a weighted plate in his pants during his weigh-in at North Carolina State’s pro days due to being underweight.
His pronouncement: “It’s only cheating if you get caught,” reflects his perspective on the “Spygate” scandal. “Like any player, if you’re going to hold him, don’t get caught. If you get caught you’re wrong, if you don’t you’re right. I always thought we never lost the games to New England because of Spygate.
“If he got the calls because we didn’t do a very good job of making sure we signaled those in, that’s on us, it’s not on him. Because we’re always looking for competitive edges.”
The book also contains elucidations about why Cowher departed from the Steelers, providing a candid and thorough perspective of his career.
