Ravens coach John Harbaugh, speaking on a Baltimore-area radio show Tuesday morning, said the Patriots’ three Super Bowl-winning seasons under coach Bill Belichick have “got asterisks now,” in reference to the Spygate scandal that surfaced in 2007.
“What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now. It's been stained,” Harbaugh said on 98 Rock in Baltimore when asked about the recent Saints scandal.
Spygate, which plagued the Patriots’ 2007 season after a staffer was caught illegally videotaping the New York Jets sideline during a game, had heavy consequences for the Patriots. The team was fined $250,000, forfeited a first-round draft pick and Belichick was fined $500,000.“To me, it's never worth it,” Harbaugh said. “You have to figure out ways to use the rules to your advantage. You have to figure out ways to make the most of everything. We have new work rules here as far as what we can do and what we can't do with our players, and we're going to make the most of it.
“What we're finding is: ‘Man, maybe we can do some things even better than we did before, because these rules make us focus more on some things that we didn't focus on before.’
"You just have to make them work for you. That's what success is in the world. You have to find a way to do things better than somebody else. But if you're cheating, in the end, you're going to get discredited. It's not worth it.”
Word of Harbaugh’s comments spread around the league fast, and former Patriots captain, three-time Super Bowl winner and future Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi had something to say about them.
“You want to take a shot, go ahead and say it,” said Bruschi, now an ESPN analyst, on SportsCenter Tuesday afternoon. “When I look down at my hand and I see championship rings, I know how much work had to be put in to win those championships. I'm very set and secure with all of the victories that we had, the work we put in.”
Bruschi also suggested that Harbaugh learn “a little bit of loyalty” considering it was Belichick that helped him obtain the coaching job at Baltimore through a recommendation.
Harbaugh responded in a statement: “I have so much respect for Coach Belichick and the job he does and has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career. I called him to remind him of my respect for him. I also reached out to Tedy Bruschi, who rightfully defended those Patriot players and coaches on ESPN, to tell him that I agree with him that the Patriots earned every victory.”
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