You can call some of the things the New England Patriots have done over the years rule-bending, gamesmanship or just plain cheating. But many NFL teams consider it something different — an excuse.
There is no actual evidence that the Patriots cheated during or in the days leading up to any of their Super Bowl victories. Despite that, representatives from all three teams New England defeated before the Spygate scandal erupted have hinted that they feel they were the victims of foul play.
Let’s start with the St. Louis Rams. Former Rams head coach Mike Martz, who also had some interesting comments about the NFL trying to cover up Spygate, told ESPN’s Outside the Lines that he has always been suspicious about the rumors that the Patriots filmed the Rams’ walkthrough before the Super Bowl in 2002, even though no evidence of any tape exists.