Perhaps it was of little surprise that, as one second still remained on the clock during Super Bowl XLII, New England head coach Bill Belichick made for the locker room. After all, Belichick does absolutely nothing by the book and, when it comes to losing, he's not exactly the poster child for sportsmanship.
But as the Patriots failed to convert a fourth-and-20 with the final seconds ticking away in the New York Giants' 17-14 win, Belichick made his way to midfield to meet with Giants coach Tom Coughlin not knowing that there was still a second on the clock. After shaking hands for a brief moment, the referee informed both coaches that there was still one tick left on the clock. Coughlin retreated to his sideline; Belichick decided he wasn't going to wait it out. A brief camera shot showed Belichick walking toward the locker room while the Giants were setting up for the final kneel to make their win official.
And people wonder why the Patriots are so polarizing? People wonder how anyone can possibly hate or root against the Patriots? This is exactly why. Belichick, regardless of reports that he actually has a soul and a personality off the field, is about as classless as any figure in sports. When Randy Moss left the field early a few years ago, everyone jumped all over him. When Dennis Rodman did the same thing, everyone threw a fit. With everything that happened Sunday night about to sink in, it'd be nice to see the media target Belichick the same way.
In a time when everyone is screaming for accountability, it'd be nice to see Belichick have to answer for why he felt it necessary to snub the better team Sunday night. His Patriots were obviously outplayed and outclassed in Super Bowl XLII, and a little humility would be refreshing. Instead, we get the same old story from Belichick and the same old story from those who are responsible for reporting things of this nature. Bill Belichick is not untouchable and he's not exempt from showing some class. Apparently, he doesn't realize that. But, really, what do we expect from the guy who sparked one controversy earlier this season and is about to be uncovered in the sequel, Spygate II?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Coach Belichick, your lack of class is showing
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1 comment:
I hate to disagree with you again, Jay, but you leave me no choice. I'm not a Belichick fan, but people need to get off him for walking off the field Sunday night.
Was it the best thing he could have done? No. But the guy had just experienced the toughest loss of his career. I can understand him wanting to get out of dodge.
And it's not like he left with a minute and a half left in a blow out. There was one second left and it could be argued the referees should have just ran it off without running another play. Plus, Belichick had already congratulated Tom Coughlin. It's not like he just sprinted for the locker room once the play ended.
It wasn't the best move in the world, but it is far from a big deal. Certainly not something that should be mentioned in the same breath as Spy Gate.
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