From 2002 through 2004, Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis allegedly had the ability to monitor communications involving the opposing coaching staff during games played at the Superdome. The man who coached the team during that period of time says he has no knowledge of any such activities.
Jim Haslett, who currently serves as defensive coordinator of the Redskins, addressed the situation via remarks sent by email to PFT.
“At no time during my tenure as head coach with the New Orleans Saints did Mickey and I discuss monitoring opposing team coaches communication, nor did I have any knowledge of this,” Haslett said. “To my knowledge this concept was never discussed or utilized.”
While it’s possible that Loomis engaged in eavesdropping without Haslett’s knowledge, there would be no way to realize any benefit whatsoever from these activities without the knowledge or involvement of the coaching staff. If Loomis was gathering enough information before the snap in order to know the offensive play (or at a minimum whether it was going to be a run or a pass) or the defensive strategy, it would have had no value if the information never was communicated to the coaching staff.
That said, it’s possible that the information was relayed only to the coaches who were working upstairs, and that they made their calls based on the reports coming in real time from Loomis, without Haslett’s knowledge of involvement. If that’s the case, why wouldn’t the Saints have simply wired the system so that the assistant coaches to whom Loomis would communicate the information would monitor the communications directly, cutting out a middleman who isn’t a classic “football guy”?
Regardless of what the truth is on this one, here’s hoping that, one way or another, the truth emerges. Unlike Spygate and Bountygate, which were proven (although player involvement in the bounty system remains a matter of debate), the latest situation represents merely a set of unilateral and unproven allegations.
You know, like the allegations ESPN reported regarding former Syracuse basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine.