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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner]This should go over well in New England.
Two days before the Patriots help the NFL kick off the season, ESPN dropped an 11,000-word investigation into the organization’s sketchy past. One of the biggest nuggets revealed in “Spygate to Deflategate” is evidence the Patriots taped opposing teams’ signals in 40 games from 2000-2007.
When Deflategate began dominating headlines in January, former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney wondered on his radio show if the Patriots had created “a culture of cheating.” Rumors that the Panthers were victims of something untoward ahead of the 2003 Super Bowl have swirled for years, so it’s not surprising to see that referenced about midway through Tuesday’s exposé:
The Panthers now believe that their practices had been taped by the Patriots before Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. “Our players came in after that first half and said it was like [the Patriots] were in our huddle,” a Panthers source says. During halftime — New England led 14-10 — Carolina’s offensive coordinator, Dan Henning, changed game plans because of worries the Patriots had too close a read on Carolina’s schemes. And, in the second half, the Panthers moved the ball at will before losing 32-29 on a last-second field goal. “Do I have any tape to prove they cheated?” this source says. “No. But I’m convinced they did it.”
Following four more paragraphs detailing what the Patriots may have done in two more Super Bowls, came the final Panthers mention:
“I don’t think fans really want to know this — they just want to watch football,” the Panthers source says. “But if you tell them that the games aren’t on the level, they’ll care. Boy, will they care.”
After you carve out about 15 minutes in your schedule, you can read the entirety of ESPN’s latest piece here.
Meanwhile, Al Wallace, a defensive end on that 2003 Panthers team, tweeted this Tuesday:[vc_row_inner no_margin=”true”][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][gap][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_raw_html]
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