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Speaking as someone who comes from a journalism background, you occasionally come across things in the business that, as the great Kent Brockman once said, "you simply can't report." And sometimes there are things you know - like that Kobe really did rape that girl in Colorado, and that Michael Jordan "retired" because he was going to get suspended by David Stern for gambling - that you just can't write about when you're in the business.
But it seems these days, what with so many ways to get this information out after you quit, you might as well share the dirt, right?
Well, that's exactly what one former writer for the Patriots is doing now. Tom Casale, who wrote for
Patriots Football Weekly (yes, that's the team's official newspaper) and moved to Pregame.com,
is now spilling the beans. And at least one part is ridiculous.
So, let's get to the dirt, shall we?
First off, apparently Tedy Bruschi is a bit of a jerk.
Tedy Bruschi is much more popular with the fans than he is with his teammates. He isn't the team leader people think he is. Actually, Bruschi rarely talks to any of his teammates. He and Mike Vrabel used to be close but they rarely interact anymore either. Bruschi is just an unlikable person in general and I think his teammates know what's what and get sick of his act. He created an image that he presents to the public but his teammates know better. The real leaders of the Patriots are Tom Brady, Matt Light, Richard Seymour and the top guy, Rodney Harrison. Harrison is actually one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet off the field, which is a total contrast to his sometimes dirty play on it.
Ah, but Bruschi doesn't hold a candle to Corey Dillon.
Corey Dillon is about the most miserable piece of sh*t you would ever want to encounter. You should see the looks and gestures he would give fans when we went on the road. Sometimes an athlete's reputation is blown up by the media but that wasn't the case with Dillon. There is no doubt in my mind that he will end up in jail at some point. You don't have to be a good guy to be a star in the NFL and no one is a better example of that than Dillon.
He also gave a list of who the biggest jackasses were on the team.
A list of a**holes would be Bruschi, Dillon, Willie McGinest, Pierre Woods, Mike Vrabel, Dan Koppen and Stephen Gostkowski. Yes, the kicker. Bruschi is by far the biggest and that seems to be a universal opinion. Sorry but it's true.
Tell us how you really feel, Tom! And here's the scary news on Belichick.
Hold on for this one: I heard from someone who is close to the case that there is a sex tape of Bill Belichick banging the married woman he had an affair with. I sh*t you not. The husband who is suing that woman for being unfaithful to him has a tape of his wife and Belichick screwing while the two of them were still married. Belichick is a very powerful man so I imagine he's doing everything in his power to squash this from getting out but it could only be a matter of time. A part of me doesn't want to see it but another part of me can't help but be intrigued.
That, uh, I don't even want to think about that. Casale also goes on to say that while he respects Belichick greatly, that "he's a miserable person." He also says that most of the team doesn't like Belichick at all, they just respect him because he's won so much.
And lastly, because I know you're wondering, Casale does address the Spygate issue. It was edited out of his Pregame.com post, but was up for a period of time
and a football forum managed to grab it. Here is Casale's take on Spygate.
I'm pretty sure (About 80 percent) that the Patriots taped that Rams walkthrough and someone got to Matt Walsh. I have had a lot of interaction with people who know more than they will ever let on. All the Rams have known about it for a while now. Marshall Faulk, in particular, believes the Pats taped their practice and thinks the NFL has been covering up the truth for years. From what I know, if I had a gun to my head and had my life on the line, I would say there was a tape at one point, that Walsh was the one who taped it, but it was best for everyone involved that info never be released publicly for obvious reasons. That's really all I can write here without implicating others who don't want to talk and I would never do that.
I think all of that would classify as burning bridges. Or napalming them.
I think the Spygate part though is the most interesting part, if you can clear the horrific Belichick image out of your head. I know a lot of people think both the NFL and the Patriots haven't been forthright about the team's cheating, and when someone who covered them for years is questioning that as well, I think that says something.
Naturally, Casale is getting ripped in the comments, but so what. I enjoyed the dirt. And I'm sure you did too.
My last day as a New England Patriot [Pregame.com]
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