Juuuust when we thought we were done with a Belichick-Goodell square-off, football got served up another steaming hot pile of #insert-technicality-here-gate. Last night at Gillette Stadium, during what would later become a Patriots victory, visiting Steelers coach Mike Tomlin claimed that he and his fellow coaches were receiving the Patriots' coaching radio channel through their headsets—making it hard to hear one another.The NFL indicated that environmental interference was possible:
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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers won't file a formal complaint, but I can't imagine that this will die down so easily.The incident adds to an insanely rich history of complaints of this nature against the Patriots. Starting with a 2006 complaint that the Jacksonville Jaguars' coach-QB radio experienced interference with the stadium security's channel. Rounding its way into a 2007 complaint that the Patriots were videotaping defensive signals from the Jets. And topping off with a 2008 Cardinals complaint about unfixable headsets. You can wash it all down with a boiling cup of a Jacksonville practice without headsets in 2011 because that "tends to happen in New England."Delights, delights, delights.[h/t Deadspin]Many of you have been asking about the headsets, so here goes: statement from the NFL on who is responsible for what. pic.twitter.com/TYsQMlsyM6
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 11, 2015