There have been plenty of accusations made against the New England Patriots through the years.
In 2007, after the Patriots got busted for “SpyGate” involving their illegal taping of rival coaches signals during games, some NFL players and coaches stepped forward with their own stories.
And those stories are still surfacing, many years later.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Jerome Bettis is still upset about a scenario that unfolded in his team’s 41-27 loss to the Patriots in the 2004 AFC Championship game.
Bettis, joining former teammate Ben Roethlisberger on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, said that the Patriots seemed to have the Steelers’ signals figured out.
And Roethlisberger agreed.
“Hey, to be fair, the Patriots cheated,” Roethlisberger said.
“For sure, they did. It’s not even a question in my mind,” Bettis said.
The three-time All-Pro running back pointed to a specific incident that raised his suspicions. With the Steelers facing a fourth-and-1 at a key point in the third quarter, the Steelers coaching staff used hand signals for the team to run a counter play.
The Pats called a timeout, and Bettis said a big defensive lineman, whom he did not identify, ran over to the sideline to talk to coaches.
The Steelers ran the counter, and the lineman was instrumental in making the stop.
“Who normally goes to the sideline on timeouts? The defensive captains, right?” Bettis said. “They told the nose guard … they pulled him to the sideline. Big 400-pound guy, he don’t want to go to the sideline and come all the way back.
“What he want to go to the sideline for? They yelling, made him go to the sideline and I always thought ‘What he going…’ He went all the way to the sideline and back.”
Bettis isn’t the first NFL player in recent years to accuse the Patriots of cheating in 2004. Several former members of the Carolina Panthers organization claimed the Pats seemed to know the Panthers plays in Super Bowl XXXVIII. The Panthers changed their signals, and erupted for 19 points in the fourth quarter in a 32-29 loss.
