Bad sports, good sports: Denver Broncos caught cheating

Posted on November 29th, 2010 by Alan Spoll

I don’t know which is more shocking: a professional sports team being found to be cheating, or the fact that the cheating is discovered so rarely. Sports are big money, and jobs hinge on wins and losses. I imagine that there is a whole lot of cheating that occurs that is never revealed. Steve Scarnecchia, the video operations director for the Denver Broncos, seems worse than most at hiding his indiscretions. For the second time in recent years, Scarnecchia has been connected to the illegal videotaping of opponents.

If you had any doubt that the New England Patriots were guilty of cheating during the famed “Spygate” scandal in 2007, this should make you a believer. That time, the Patriots were accused of illegally videotaping defensive signals being sent into a game by the New York Jets. The investigation then revealed a pattern of this behavior over a number of years. Scarnecchia was an employee of the Patriots during those years. Not surprisingly, the Patriots were hugely successful during that period of time. Scarnecchia moved on to work for the Denver Broncos for the 2009 season, and it did not take very long for trouble to follow. The report states that the videotaping occurred in London last month, when the Broncos were preparing to play the San Francisco 49ers. Scarnecchia gave the tape to Denver head coach Josh McDaniels, who says he did not view it. McDaniels, who was an assistant coach with New England before being hired by Denver before the 2009 season, did not bother to report the incident to the league. The team and McDaniels were each fined $50,000, and Scarnecchia has been fired by the team.

I refuse to believe that McDaniels did not view the tape. If he hadn’t, why didn’t he report the violation to the league right away? Things could have only gotten worse, which they now have. Denver is having a miserable season, and McDaniels may be feeling the heat from team management. It makes sense that he would have tried to get an extra edge, especially against a team like the Niners, who were 1-6 at the time. The Broncos could not afford a loss against a team like that. Lose they did, though, and after a loss to the Rams this week, they are 3-8 and certain to miss the playoffs. Knowing how quickly coaches are tossed aside, do you believe for a second that McDaniels had nothing to do with the incident? There is no way. Steve Scarnecchia was clearly very involved, but I think he is a convenient fall guy for upon whom McDaniels can toss all the blame. There are no coincidences here.

Bad sports, continued:

2) For a team that has won several recent Super Bowls, the Pittsburgh Steelers sure have a bunch of crybabies. Last week, Richard Seymour of the Oakland Raiders was ejected from a game against the Steelers for a slap to the helmet of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The league then fined him $25,000 for the infraction. Several Steelers players, including receivers Antwaan Randle-El and Hines Ward, complained this week that the punishment was far too lenient, considering some fines that had been levied against other players this season, including some of their teammates. What a bunch of babies. Did you see the hit? Roethlisberger is six foot five and 240 pounds. Seymour hit him with an open hand. The punishment was appropriate.

3) Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One, was robbed outside of his office on Wednesday night. Robbers apparently stole over $300,000 worth of jewelry. What the heck were he and his girlfriend doing wearing $300,000 worth of jewelry, you ask? Excellent question.

4) This is a terrible story. Seconds after winning a motorcycle race in Dubai on Friday, Pascal Grosjean, a Swiss rider, was run into by another cyclist and thrown from his motorcycle. Grosjean did not survive the accident.

5) This one is far less tragic than the last story, although slightly similar. Check out this video of Daniel Morad, who had just won the World Karting Championship in Italy. Oops.

6) At halftime of its eventual loss to Notre Dame on Friday night, Cal’s basketball team had five points. You are reading that correctly. The score was 21-5 at the half. Ouch.

7) With just a few minutes left in the Titans-Texans game on Sunday, a hockey game broke out. Andre Johnson, wide receiver for Houston, threw a couple of legitimate punches at Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan. Expect large fines and suspensions.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday.

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02