COLUMN: Just how stupid are the Saints?
The New Orleans Saints must have the worst luck and maybe the lowest ethical standards of any professional sports team in the world.
Just weeks after suspensions and fines were handed out for the now-infamous bounty scandal, in which Saints coaches rewarded defensive players injuring opposing offensive players with cash rewards, a new scandal has just broken out.
This time the Saints might be in trouble with the law.
According to an ESPN "Outside the Lines" report, the Saints allegedly set up the booth of General Manager Mickey Loomis so that he could listen in on opposing coaches during home games from 2002 through 2004, only to be disabled in 2005 as the Superdome was transformed into a shelter while Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans.
The Saints went a mediocre 12-12 at home during that stretch, but did noticeably better after halftime than they did at the start of the game.
The Saints have called the allegations "1,000 percent false." But if these claims are proven to be true, this will put the 2004 New England Patriots Spygate scandal to shame.
Not only is this against NFL rules and regulations, this is in potential violation of federal and state law. The FBI and Louisiana state police are both looking into the allegations.
I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on federal law or Louisiana state law, so I'll leave the legal analysis of this scandal to legal scholars and writers who wish they were legal scholars. There's one question that I'd like to ask Loomis and other higher-ups in the Saints, though:
Just how stupid are you?
Arrogance and stupidity are nothing new in sports. Players that are raised under the spotlight their entire lives because of their talents have a different mindset than most growing up. If they do something obviously wrong and it leaks out, then no one is usually too surprised.
But seeing this kind of idiocy coming from a front office not run by Matt Millen is truly amazing.
How could Loomis or others in the Saints front office not foresee knowledge their top secret wiretapping technology leaking out to the public, especially in today's never-ending news cycle?
This kind of story is irresistible to journalists and shocking to the public. That means it was bound to leak out.
And guess what? It did, and at the worst possible moment for this embattled franchise.
Loomis needs to be fired, not only because of any legal ramifications that may come out of this, but also because of his pure stupidity.
