The old if you wernt a Pats lover,youd see everything like everybody else does.
Thats Brilliant,thats really authentic TDJ!!
New England Cheatriots
- Thread starter Tapir Caper
- Start date
The old if you wernt a Pats lover,youd see everything like everybody else does.
Thats Brilliant,thats really authentic TDJ!!
You admit they cheated and then say its ok. I'd prefer you talk chit out of your other face from now on...
I dont call taping someones staff or team cheating legally,or illegally i call it trying to get a comp. advantage,as the players not the coaches decide what transpires on the playing field.
Hang in there Coll. Hoops is coming,and go CELTS!!
NFL had its reasons to hide Spygate
Published: May 30. 2008 6:00AM
Anyone who has paid attention to the NBA playoffs understands why the NFL could have covered up the Spygate scandal.
For several weeks, NBA commissioner David Stern has been fending off accusations that referees are trying to extend playoff series to pump more ticket and television money into the league's coffers.
Stern even signed off on a statement supporting speculation that an official blew a call at the end of Game 4 of the Lakers-Spurs Western Conference final series.
All of this can be traced to the revelation that NBA official Tim Donaghy bet on games, a stunning turn that no doubt chased away some fans for good and left others to cast a wary eye on the outcomes of games.
Don't think for a moment that Stern's NFL counterpart, Roger Goodell, didn't flash back to the Donaghy mess when word broke in September that the New England Patriots had illegally taped defensive signals.
In a story that's grown Wilt Chamberlain legs, we recently learned Goodell levied the Patriots' punishment - a $750,000 fine and the loss of a first-round draft choice - days before he even looked at the illicit tapes.
We learned Goodell changed his story about the extent of the Patriots' spying, initially saying it dated only to 2006, then later acknowledging it had been going on perhaps since 2000.
And there is Goodell's decision to destroy evidence, which has helped Sen. Arlen Specter launch a second career as the most well-paid conspiracy theorist since Oliver Stone.
Some might question why Goodell would consider a cover-up, given the potential for loose lips to punch a hole in pro football's massive money-making ship.
Here's why:
The NFL, with the shortest season of any major professional sport, lives and dies on the notion of "any given Sunday."
Upsets do more than create a blip on a team's 84- or 162-game radar screen; they can ruin a season, or at least affect playoff seeding.
The NFL needs Buffalo Bills fans to believe last year's nationally televised near-upset of the Cowboys - in which Tony Romo threw five interceptions against a defense known for its failure to create big plays - wasn't the product of someone's illegally taping Dallas' play calls.
It needs us to believe any team can win or lose without help from intentionally blown calls or a scheming video assistant.
What Goodell can't afford is the suggestion its weekly mini-dramas, which attract millions of viewers and haul in tens of millions of dollars, are preconceived in any way.
That in itself is all the motivation the NFL would have needed to nip Spygate in the bud, even if it meant burying the truth along with the evidence.
JOHN DUDLEY can be reached at 870-1677 or john.dudley@timesnews.com.
Published: May 30. 2008 6:00AM
Anyone who has paid attention to the NBA playoffs understands why the NFL could have covered up the Spygate scandal.
For several weeks, NBA commissioner David Stern has been fending off accusations that referees are trying to extend playoff series to pump more ticket and television money into the league's coffers.
Stern even signed off on a statement supporting speculation that an official blew a call at the end of Game 4 of the Lakers-Spurs Western Conference final series.
All of this can be traced to the revelation that NBA official Tim Donaghy bet on games, a stunning turn that no doubt chased away some fans for good and left others to cast a wary eye on the outcomes of games.
Don't think for a moment that Stern's NFL counterpart, Roger Goodell, didn't flash back to the Donaghy mess when word broke in September that the New England Patriots had illegally taped defensive signals.
In a story that's grown Wilt Chamberlain legs, we recently learned Goodell levied the Patriots' punishment - a $750,000 fine and the loss of a first-round draft choice - days before he even looked at the illicit tapes.
We learned Goodell changed his story about the extent of the Patriots' spying, initially saying it dated only to 2006, then later acknowledging it had been going on perhaps since 2000.
And there is Goodell's decision to destroy evidence, which has helped Sen. Arlen Specter launch a second career as the most well-paid conspiracy theorist since Oliver Stone.
Some might question why Goodell would consider a cover-up, given the potential for loose lips to punch a hole in pro football's massive money-making ship.
Here's why:
The NFL, with the shortest season of any major professional sport, lives and dies on the notion of "any given Sunday."
Upsets do more than create a blip on a team's 84- or 162-game radar screen; they can ruin a season, or at least affect playoff seeding.
The NFL needs Buffalo Bills fans to believe last year's nationally televised near-upset of the Cowboys - in which Tony Romo threw five interceptions against a defense known for its failure to create big plays - wasn't the product of someone's illegally taping Dallas' play calls.
It needs us to believe any team can win or lose without help from intentionally blown calls or a scheming video assistant.
What Goodell can't afford is the suggestion its weekly mini-dramas, which attract millions of viewers and haul in tens of millions of dollars, are preconceived in any way.
That in itself is all the motivation the NFL would have needed to nip Spygate in the bud, even if it meant burying the truth along with the evidence.
JOHN DUDLEY can be reached at 870-1677 or john.dudley@timesnews.com.
That's exactly the point. It isn't true, but the league needs people to believe it. Just as the government needs people to believe its story about 9/11, or its story about Pearl Harbor.
This article is comical.
How can you compare a ref.
,who rigged games for the books,to someone who taped a game or signals.
This ones got me boogled??The Nba incident is a far,i mean far worse incident.Funny thing is no one says one word about it.
Must be bc the pats arnt involved,huh?
This is probably too difficult for you to understand, Rusty, but this has nothing to do with the Pats or anyone's hatred of them. I'm not a sports team fan at all and have only enjoyed watching New England play. But I'm intensely interested in precisely what NE actually did, just as I'm interested in what Donaghy did. And what the leagues did in response. That's all. No attacks on you or NE, at least from this quarter.
The fact that Goodell burned the tapes is telling. The fact that he has gone out of his way to play down the pattern of rule-breaking is telling. I would feel that way if the team in question were Tamba Bay or Dallas Cowboys.
Thats a great pt. Caper.
But the fact of the matter is ,more people should look at it like you.This isnt the only team(Dallas,K.C) that has used this tactics ,they just didnt get caught.And who knows how many more.
AR 182 makes a greatpt.,They got caught,they were disiplined,case closed.Im not the one that started this thread,Im just defending my team.
As far as the hate goes read what TDJ or 3seconds has to say.Sounds like alot of hate to me??
I do hate cheaters. I have openly said that.
I don't understand how you think its fair to tape what you aren't allowed to tape. The rule was made that you couldn't tape in certain areas and they constantly broke the rule to gain an illegal advantage.
I can't really explain any more to someone who insists that doing what is not allowed is ok. I'd love to see your taxes...you do pay some taxes, don't you?
I don't understand how you think its fair to tape what you aren't allowed to tape. The rule was made that you couldn't tape in certain areas and they constantly broke the rule to gain an illegal advantage.
I can't really explain any more to someone who insists that doing what is not allowed is ok. I'd love to see your taxes...you do pay some taxes, don't you?
And, if winning 3 super bowls in exchange for a draft pick and some money is a "steep price", then I have to think everyone would sign up for that.
I'm also tired of hearing how the players play on the field and decide the games and nothing else matters. Somehow it doesn't matter if I'm tom brady and I KNOW a corner blitz is coming and where its coming from.
These statements are ridiculous. Its a HUGE advantage to consistently know what's coming. Anyone who says different has no concept of football whatsoever. No offense, Rusty.
I'm also tired of hearing how the players play on the field and decide the games and nothing else matters. Somehow it doesn't matter if I'm tom brady and I KNOW a corner blitz is coming and where its coming from.
These statements are ridiculous. Its a HUGE advantage to consistently know what's coming. Anyone who says different has no concept of football whatsoever. No offense, Rusty.
As a long-time Pats fan, even I am disappointed in what they had done. I think they could have won it just fine without the tapes, but breaking the ethics of the situation is really damaging to their credibility.
:welcome: Lets say month,even year.
Everyone has there own take on it.
Im not gonna influence nor take cheapshots to no one nomore.Im done on this issue.
Time to talk mini-camps,training camps,thugs that cant stay off drugs and forfiet millions(thurman).,,,,,etc.
Everyone has there own take on it.
Im not gonna influence nor take cheapshots to no one nomore.Im done on this issue.
Time to talk mini-camps,training camps,thugs that cant stay off drugs and forfiet millions(thurman).,,,,,etc.
good move...let's start thinking about us making money this coming football season...
Cheating, more cheating & then turned RAT!
Cheating, more cheating & then turned RAT!
Patriots player arrested, turns informant
:s1:
By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP)?An attorney says New England Patriots lineman Nicholas Kaczur (ka-ZUR?) was arrested on drug charges, then helped federal authorities in a sting operation that led to the indictment of a supplier.
Kaczur was arrested in New York in April on a misdemeanor charge of illegal possession of oxycodone.
The alleged dealer, Daniel Ekasala (eck-ah-SAH?-lah), was arrested last month and faces arraignment Wednesday. Court documents show an unnamed cooperating witness wore a hidden recording device during three drug transactions with Ekasala.
On Wednesday, Ekasala?s lawyer, Bernard Grossberg, identified the cooperating witness as Kaczur.
The Boston Globe reports Kaczur denies knowledge of the investigation.
Cheating, more cheating & then turned RAT!
Patriots player arrested, turns informant
:s1:
By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP)?An attorney says New England Patriots lineman Nicholas Kaczur (ka-ZUR?) was arrested on drug charges, then helped federal authorities in a sting operation that led to the indictment of a supplier.
Kaczur was arrested in New York in April on a misdemeanor charge of illegal possession of oxycodone.
The alleged dealer, Daniel Ekasala (eck-ah-SAH?-lah), was arrested last month and faces arraignment Wednesday. Court documents show an unnamed cooperating witness wore a hidden recording device during three drug transactions with Ekasala.
On Wednesday, Ekasala?s lawyer, Bernard Grossberg, identified the cooperating witness as Kaczur.
The Boston Globe reports Kaczur denies knowledge of the investigation.
ones a criminal the others a crybaby
ones a criminal the others a crybaby
IRVING, Texas -- Pacman Jones is already showing his new teammates some of his playmaking skills.
Still, Jones knows lessons learned off the field in more than a year away from the game are more important than two interceptions in two offseason practices with the Dallas Cowboys.
Out of every-thing I've been through, that's the past. I'm going to talk about the future, but I've learned a great deal.
-- Pacman Jones
"Just picking and choosing my places, my friends, knowing what to do, when to do it and what not to do," Jones said Wednesday after his second workout with the Cowboys. "Out of everything I've been through, that's the past. I'm going to talk about the future, but I've learned a great deal."
After Jones missed the 2007 season while suspended from the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell this week partially reinstated the cornerback. Jones can practice with the team and has been cleared for training camp and preseason games, but may not know until Sept. 1 -- six days before the Cowboys' opener -- if he can play in the regular season.
Jones, who met with Goodell last month in Atlanta, is confident that he will do his part to play.
"I know what it takes for me to do what I need to do, and that's what I'm going to do," Jones said, refusing to detail what Goodell told him. "It's all up to the commissioner. Like I said before, I'm going to do my part."
The second day of workouts for Jones was the first open to the media, and the first with Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens also on the field.
Jones had an interception and sprinted toward the end zone during team drills, like he did at the end of practice Tuesday. Both passes were thrown by third-stringer Richard Bartel, not Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo.
"I feel real good to get around my new teammates and start working on what we've got to do for the future," Jones said. "A lot of relief, man. I've been waiting on this day for a whole year, so I'm just happy to be a part of this team, and I'm happy to be back on the field."
Jones worked out at cornerback, and on kickoff and punt returns. On defense, Jones was matched up a couple of plays against Owens, who practiced for the first time since signing his new $34 million contract through the 2011 season on Tuesday. No passes came their way when they were together.
"Pac's in pretty good shape. ... You can tell his natural skills," coach Wade Phillips said. "It's up to him obviously, we all know that and he knows that. As far as the football part, we're trying to get him ready and I think we will. He's really talented."
Jones was suspended in April 2007 following an accumulation of arrests and legal problems, including his connection to a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. He's been arrested six times and involved in 12 incidents requiring police intervention since being drafted in the first round by Tennessee in 2005.
"The past is the past. I made some bad decisions and I owned up to all my decisions," Jones said. "Now I worry about the future."
Jones is wearing No. 21, the number Deion Sanders wore for the Cowboys. Sanders also has become somewhat of a mentor, having first reached out to the young cornerback with a phone call.
For the past month, Jones worked out at Sanders' home, with mid-afternoon sessions in the Texas heat -- and a sandpit. Sanders, who watched practice Wednesday, has spent numerous hours with Jones, though they talk more about the present and the future than the past.
"I don't even call him Pacman. Pacman is gone. I call him new man now. He is a new man," Sanders said. "I have a love for this kid that is insatiable. I don't want to call him my son, but I see something in him that I want to love him."
Sanders said his biggest influence has been allowing Jones to "be in close proximity to witness my life" with family and others away with the field.
Phillips believes the most important part about Jones being partially reinstated is that he's able to interact with his new teammates. The coach has already had several conversations with Jones, acquired from the Titans with an exchange of draft picks.
"I've been around him enough and have a feel for him. When a guy says I've made mistakes and when he admits he's made mistakes, and he's a smart guy, the smart guys learn from their mistakes," Phillips said. "He says he's going to do what it takes to play for us. And I do believe that."
While Jones hasn't been compelled to address his new teammates as a group, knowing they are already aware of what he's done, he has talked to several of them, primarily fellow defensive backs. He told them about the mistakes he made and "how it felt to be sitting out a whole year, and wishing you could be out there and not knowing if you would get the chance."
Now that he has the chance, and possibly his last one, Jones knows he will be under constant scrutiny for what he does, especially off the field.
"It doesn't bother me," Jones said. "I wish I had known all of this when I first got in the league, then I wouldn't have made some of the bad decisions that I made. I like pressure, man, and no matter what no one says, it's all on me now.
"There's no excuses," he said. "I think that I'm in a great position and I'm ready for it."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
ones a criminal the others a crybaby
IRVING, Texas -- Pacman Jones is already showing his new teammates some of his playmaking skills.
Still, Jones knows lessons learned off the field in more than a year away from the game are more important than two interceptions in two offseason practices with the Dallas Cowboys.
Out of every-thing I've been through, that's the past. I'm going to talk about the future, but I've learned a great deal.
-- Pacman Jones
"Just picking and choosing my places, my friends, knowing what to do, when to do it and what not to do," Jones said Wednesday after his second workout with the Cowboys. "Out of everything I've been through, that's the past. I'm going to talk about the future, but I've learned a great deal."
After Jones missed the 2007 season while suspended from the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell this week partially reinstated the cornerback. Jones can practice with the team and has been cleared for training camp and preseason games, but may not know until Sept. 1 -- six days before the Cowboys' opener -- if he can play in the regular season.
Jones, who met with Goodell last month in Atlanta, is confident that he will do his part to play.
"I know what it takes for me to do what I need to do, and that's what I'm going to do," Jones said, refusing to detail what Goodell told him. "It's all up to the commissioner. Like I said before, I'm going to do my part."
The second day of workouts for Jones was the first open to the media, and the first with Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens also on the field.
Jones had an interception and sprinted toward the end zone during team drills, like he did at the end of practice Tuesday. Both passes were thrown by third-stringer Richard Bartel, not Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo.
"I feel real good to get around my new teammates and start working on what we've got to do for the future," Jones said. "A lot of relief, man. I've been waiting on this day for a whole year, so I'm just happy to be a part of this team, and I'm happy to be back on the field."
Jones worked out at cornerback, and on kickoff and punt returns. On defense, Jones was matched up a couple of plays against Owens, who practiced for the first time since signing his new $34 million contract through the 2011 season on Tuesday. No passes came their way when they were together.
"Pac's in pretty good shape. ... You can tell his natural skills," coach Wade Phillips said. "It's up to him obviously, we all know that and he knows that. As far as the football part, we're trying to get him ready and I think we will. He's really talented."
Jones was suspended in April 2007 following an accumulation of arrests and legal problems, including his connection to a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. He's been arrested six times and involved in 12 incidents requiring police intervention since being drafted in the first round by Tennessee in 2005.
"The past is the past. I made some bad decisions and I owned up to all my decisions," Jones said. "Now I worry about the future."
Jones is wearing No. 21, the number Deion Sanders wore for the Cowboys. Sanders also has become somewhat of a mentor, having first reached out to the young cornerback with a phone call.
For the past month, Jones worked out at Sanders' home, with mid-afternoon sessions in the Texas heat -- and a sandpit. Sanders, who watched practice Wednesday, has spent numerous hours with Jones, though they talk more about the present and the future than the past.
"I don't even call him Pacman. Pacman is gone. I call him new man now. He is a new man," Sanders said. "I have a love for this kid that is insatiable. I don't want to call him my son, but I see something in him that I want to love him."
Sanders said his biggest influence has been allowing Jones to "be in close proximity to witness my life" with family and others away with the field.
Phillips believes the most important part about Jones being partially reinstated is that he's able to interact with his new teammates. The coach has already had several conversations with Jones, acquired from the Titans with an exchange of draft picks.
"I've been around him enough and have a feel for him. When a guy says I've made mistakes and when he admits he's made mistakes, and he's a smart guy, the smart guys learn from their mistakes," Phillips said. "He says he's going to do what it takes to play for us. And I do believe that."
While Jones hasn't been compelled to address his new teammates as a group, knowing they are already aware of what he's done, he has talked to several of them, primarily fellow defensive backs. He told them about the mistakes he made and "how it felt to be sitting out a whole year, and wishing you could be out there and not knowing if you would get the chance."
Now that he has the chance, and possibly his last one, Jones knows he will be under constant scrutiny for what he does, especially off the field.
"It doesn't bother me," Jones said. "I wish I had known all of this when I first got in the league, then I wouldn't have made some of the bad decisions that I made. I like pressure, man, and no matter what no one says, it's all on me now.
"There's no excuses," he said. "I think that I'm in a great position and I'm ready for it."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
ya touchdown, illegal taped football so called cheating as you call it holds a candle to nothing. Child molestation, drug dealers, murderers, nothing is worse than cheating in football.:shrug:
Get over it, illegal taping, society will go on. Christ it's not even the biggest scandal in sports, have you heard of the NBA gambling scandal?
Said Id move on,but one more thing!!(sorryTDJ).
Comparing 8 year olds??:shrug:
Saying they lost games on perpose??
Did you not see the game in buffalo (2001)
Did you not see the playoff game VS Oakland(2001)?
Hell Pitt. had there bags packed for SB before championship game was played.
Guess all NE fans are saying is this.Yes they did something that was illegal,by NFL rules.But to pinponit there whole campain on said cheating,is unjust.
One more thing.Did not mean to expand this issue further,as its been beat to a dead horse antway
[going to post anything corruption related in this thread]
Convicted steroids dealer who gave names to NFL found dead
ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 5, 2008, 10:22 PM ET
PLANO, Texas -- A convicted steroids dealer who recently met with NFL security officials and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him has been found dead in his home.
David Jacobs, seen after pleading guilty to steroid charges in 2007, recently met with NFL officials -- and according to his lawyer, gave them the names of players who had received drugs he had made. He was found dead on Thursday.
Early Thursday morning, Plano police made a welfare check and found 35-year-old David Jacobs and 30-year-old Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell dead. Both had been shot.
Officer Rick McDonald, a police spokesman, said the officers were making a welfare check after relatives of Earhart-Savell expressed concern about her whereabouts.
According to the Dallas Morning News, which first reported the story, Jacobs and Earhart-Savell had been in an on-again, off-again relationship, and at one point were engaged to be married.
Heather Bowden, also a spokeswoman for the Plano police, told the New York Times in a telephone interview, "At this point, it is a homicide investigation, and we have no reason to believe otherwise."
Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $25,000 on May 1 after pleading guilty last year in federal court in Dallas to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
According to ESPN the Magazine senior writer Shaun Assael, who had been in contact with Jacobs throughout May, Jacobs was reticent and nervous about the information he had and the people it implicated.
When explaining why he did not want to go public, Jacobs said: "The kinds of people I know about could put a bullet in the back of my head."
Jacobs's father, also named David, of Jasper, Ga., told The Times in a telephone interview that he received a call from an anonymous person, who told Jacobs to call the Plano police. Jacobs said police were unable to tell him much about what might have transpired.
"I spoke with David through a text message about three or four days ago, and he said he was fine," Jacobs told The Times. "He has been trying to rebuild his life. He got crossed with some bad things and made some bad choices. At this point, I am just beside myself."
The Morning News reported it had spoken with Jacobs frequently and exchanged e-mails with him as recently as last weekend. Jacobs had sought to rebuild his nutritional supplement business, but he was experiencing financial problems and having trouble getting his old client base to work with him, according to the report.
On May 21, Jacobs met with NFL security officials in the Dallas area and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him, according to Hank Hockeimer, his lawyer.
Hockeimer told the newspaper on Thursday he had not yet been briefed about the situation at Jacobs' house.
The NFL requested the meeting after Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation on May 1 for a single count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. He had cooperated with federal authorities since his arrest last year.
"We offer our sympathy to the families of David Jacobs and Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell," the league said in a statement. "As we have previously confirmed, our security representatives interviewed David Jacobs on two occasions. We are reviewing the information to determine if there is documented evidence establishing any violations of our program and will follow up on any other information that is provided.
"It is premature to comment on any specific player at this time. Anyone found to have violated our policies will be subject to discipline, including suspension. We will continue to be responsive to any needs of law enforcement on this matter."
Neighbors who were still gathered at the scene about 12 hours after officers arrived said they became aware of Jacobs through television news reports, but didn't know him well. They said they didn't see any suspicious activity or hear any gunshots.
One neighbor who reached out to Jacobs after his guilty plea by asking him to warn children about the dangers of drugs said she didn't believe police when they told her he was dead.
"Knowing somebody died this way, it's hard to take," Yeharerwerk Gashaw said. "I was shocked."
By his own account, Jacobs was a prolific salesman, moving 1,000 bottles of anabolic steroids a month and an equal number of growth hormone kits that he obtained illicitly from China.
Hockeimer had said that league officials seemed "genuinely interested" in what Jacobs had to say, as well as in canceled checks and e-mails that he provided.
Jacobs has publicly acknowledged that he dealt primarily with two NFL players and earlier identified one of them as offensive lineman Matt Lehr.
Last month, Jacobs told the Morning News that Lehr purchased tens of thousands of dollars of steroids and growth hormone from the spring of 2006 to the spring of 2007. He also told the paper that Lehr agreed to have boxes of raw steroid powder from China shipped directly to his Georgia home.
Lehr served a four-game suspension while a member of the Atlanta Falcons in October 2006 after he tested positive for a banned substance. He spent last season with Tampa Bay and was acquired by the Saints in the offseason.
Lehr's attorney, Paul Coggins, has said the player hasn't used banned substances since he was suspended and has since passed NFL drug tests. The attorney has also said Jacobs' allegations are retaliation because Lehr wouldn't pay Jacobs' legal fees.
After his sentencing, Jacobs told The New York Times that he hoped to tell league officials about "loopholes in their program." He also said he'd advised about 10 players to use finasteride, a drug to treat balding, because it masks steroid use.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3427526
Convicted steroids dealer who gave names to NFL found dead
ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 5, 2008, 10:22 PM ET
PLANO, Texas -- A convicted steroids dealer who recently met with NFL security officials and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him has been found dead in his home.
David Jacobs, seen after pleading guilty to steroid charges in 2007, recently met with NFL officials -- and according to his lawyer, gave them the names of players who had received drugs he had made. He was found dead on Thursday.
Early Thursday morning, Plano police made a welfare check and found 35-year-old David Jacobs and 30-year-old Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell dead. Both had been shot.
Officer Rick McDonald, a police spokesman, said the officers were making a welfare check after relatives of Earhart-Savell expressed concern about her whereabouts.
According to the Dallas Morning News, which first reported the story, Jacobs and Earhart-Savell had been in an on-again, off-again relationship, and at one point were engaged to be married.
Heather Bowden, also a spokeswoman for the Plano police, told the New York Times in a telephone interview, "At this point, it is a homicide investigation, and we have no reason to believe otherwise."
Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $25,000 on May 1 after pleading guilty last year in federal court in Dallas to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
According to ESPN the Magazine senior writer Shaun Assael, who had been in contact with Jacobs throughout May, Jacobs was reticent and nervous about the information he had and the people it implicated.
When explaining why he did not want to go public, Jacobs said: "The kinds of people I know about could put a bullet in the back of my head."
Jacobs's father, also named David, of Jasper, Ga., told The Times in a telephone interview that he received a call from an anonymous person, who told Jacobs to call the Plano police. Jacobs said police were unable to tell him much about what might have transpired.
"I spoke with David through a text message about three or four days ago, and he said he was fine," Jacobs told The Times. "He has been trying to rebuild his life. He got crossed with some bad things and made some bad choices. At this point, I am just beside myself."
The Morning News reported it had spoken with Jacobs frequently and exchanged e-mails with him as recently as last weekend. Jacobs had sought to rebuild his nutritional supplement business, but he was experiencing financial problems and having trouble getting his old client base to work with him, according to the report.
On May 21, Jacobs met with NFL security officials in the Dallas area and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him, according to Hank Hockeimer, his lawyer.
Hockeimer told the newspaper on Thursday he had not yet been briefed about the situation at Jacobs' house.
The NFL requested the meeting after Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation on May 1 for a single count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. He had cooperated with federal authorities since his arrest last year.
"We offer our sympathy to the families of David Jacobs and Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell," the league said in a statement. "As we have previously confirmed, our security representatives interviewed David Jacobs on two occasions. We are reviewing the information to determine if there is documented evidence establishing any violations of our program and will follow up on any other information that is provided.
"It is premature to comment on any specific player at this time. Anyone found to have violated our policies will be subject to discipline, including suspension. We will continue to be responsive to any needs of law enforcement on this matter."
Neighbors who were still gathered at the scene about 12 hours after officers arrived said they became aware of Jacobs through television news reports, but didn't know him well. They said they didn't see any suspicious activity or hear any gunshots.
One neighbor who reached out to Jacobs after his guilty plea by asking him to warn children about the dangers of drugs said she didn't believe police when they told her he was dead.
"Knowing somebody died this way, it's hard to take," Yeharerwerk Gashaw said. "I was shocked."
By his own account, Jacobs was a prolific salesman, moving 1,000 bottles of anabolic steroids a month and an equal number of growth hormone kits that he obtained illicitly from China.
Hockeimer had said that league officials seemed "genuinely interested" in what Jacobs had to say, as well as in canceled checks and e-mails that he provided.
Jacobs has publicly acknowledged that he dealt primarily with two NFL players and earlier identified one of them as offensive lineman Matt Lehr.
Last month, Jacobs told the Morning News that Lehr purchased tens of thousands of dollars of steroids and growth hormone from the spring of 2006 to the spring of 2007. He also told the paper that Lehr agreed to have boxes of raw steroid powder from China shipped directly to his Georgia home.
Lehr served a four-game suspension while a member of the Atlanta Falcons in October 2006 after he tested positive for a banned substance. He spent last season with Tampa Bay and was acquired by the Saints in the offseason.
Lehr's attorney, Paul Coggins, has said the player hasn't used banned substances since he was suspended and has since passed NFL drug tests. The attorney has also said Jacobs' allegations are retaliation because Lehr wouldn't pay Jacobs' legal fees.
After his sentencing, Jacobs told The New York Times that he hoped to tell league officials about "loopholes in their program." He also said he'd advised about 10 players to use finasteride, a drug to treat balding, because it masks steroid use.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3427526
[going to post anything corruption related in this thread]
Convicted steroids dealer who gave names to NFL found dead
ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 5, 2008, 10:22 PM ET
PLANO, Texas -- A convicted steroids dealer who recently met with NFL security officials and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him has been found dead in his home.
David Jacobs, seen after pleading guilty to steroid charges in 2007, recently met with NFL officials -- and according to his lawyer, gave them the names of players who had received drugs he had made. He was found dead on Thursday.
Early Thursday morning, Plano police made a welfare check and found 35-year-old David Jacobs and 30-year-old Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell dead. Both had been shot.
Officer Rick McDonald, a police spokesman, said the officers were making a welfare check after relatives of Earhart-Savell expressed concern about her whereabouts.
According to the Dallas Morning News, which first reported the story, Jacobs and Earhart-Savell had been in an on-again, off-again relationship, and at one point were engaged to be married.
Heather Bowden, also a spokeswoman for the Plano police, told the New York Times in a telephone interview, "At this point, it is a homicide investigation, and we have no reason to believe otherwise."
Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $25,000 on May 1 after pleading guilty last year in federal court in Dallas to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
According to ESPN the Magazine senior writer Shaun Assael, who had been in contact with Jacobs throughout May, Jacobs was reticent and nervous about the information he had and the people it implicated.
When explaining why he did not want to go public, Jacobs said: "The kinds of people I know about could put a bullet in the back of my head."
Jacobs's father, also named David, of Jasper, Ga., told The Times in a telephone interview that he received a call from an anonymous person, who told Jacobs to call the Plano police. Jacobs said police were unable to tell him much about what might have transpired.
"I spoke with David through a text message about three or four days ago, and he said he was fine," Jacobs told The Times. "He has been trying to rebuild his life. He got crossed with some bad things and made some bad choices. At this point, I am just beside myself."
The Morning News reported it had spoken with Jacobs frequently and exchanged e-mails with him as recently as last weekend. Jacobs had sought to rebuild his nutritional supplement business, but he was experiencing financial problems and having trouble getting his old client base to work with him, according to the report.
On May 21, Jacobs met with NFL security officials in the Dallas area and gave them names of players he said bought steroids from him, according to Hank Hockeimer, his lawyer.
Hockeimer told the newspaper on Thursday he had not yet been briefed about the situation at Jacobs' house.
The NFL requested the meeting after Jacobs was sentenced to three years of probation on May 1 for a single count of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. He had cooperated with federal authorities since his arrest last year.
"We offer our sympathy to the families of David Jacobs and Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell," the league said in a statement. "As we have previously confirmed, our security representatives interviewed David Jacobs on two occasions. We are reviewing the information to determine if there is documented evidence establishing any violations of our program and will follow up on any other information that is provided.
"It is premature to comment on any specific player at this time. Anyone found to have violated our policies will be subject to discipline, including suspension. We will continue to be responsive to any needs of law enforcement on this matter."
Neighbors who were still gathered at the scene about 12 hours after officers arrived said they became aware of Jacobs through television news reports, but didn't know him well. They said they didn't see any suspicious activity or hear any gunshots.
One neighbor who reached out to Jacobs after his guilty plea by asking him to warn children about the dangers of drugs said she didn't believe police when they told her he was dead.
"Knowing somebody died this way, it's hard to take," Yeharerwerk Gashaw said. "I was shocked."
By his own account, Jacobs was a prolific salesman, moving 1,000 bottles of anabolic steroids a month and an equal number of growth hormone kits that he obtained illicitly from China.
Hockeimer had said that league officials seemed "genuinely interested" in what Jacobs had to say, as well as in canceled checks and e-mails that he provided.
Jacobs has publicly acknowledged that he dealt primarily with two NFL players and earlier identified one of them as offensive lineman Matt Lehr.
Last month, Jacobs told the Morning News that Lehr purchased tens of thousands of dollars of steroids and growth hormone from the spring of 2006 to the spring of 2007. He also told the paper that Lehr agreed to have boxes of raw steroid powder from China shipped directly to his Georgia home.
Lehr served a four-game suspension while a member of the Atlanta Falcons in October 2006 after he tested positive for a banned substance. He spent last season with Tampa Bay and was acquired by the Saints in the offseason.
Lehr's attorney, Paul Coggins, has said the player hasn't used banned substances since he was suspended and has since passed NFL drug tests. The attorney has also said Jacobs' allegations are retaliation because Lehr wouldn't pay Jacobs' legal fees.
After his sentencing, Jacobs told The New York Times that he hoped to tell league officials about "loopholes in their program." He also said he'd advised about 10 players to use finasteride, a drug to treat balding, because it masks steroid use.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3427526
Here is an issue that def. is swept under the rug unlike baseball.Why?This guy was def. taken down.
Funny how this issue is mostly ignored,while god knows how many are users.
