NFL commissioner Roger Goodell answers questions at a news conference in Phoenix February 1, 2008.
(REUTERS/Jeff Haynes)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will meet with U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday to discuss the New England Patriots' spying on rival teams.
The Pennsylvania Republican wants to know why the NFL had the Patriots' six videotapes, which Goodell said were mostly from the 2006 regular season and 2007 preseason, destroyed.
New England was found to have broken NFL rules by using videotape to steal sideline signals by their opponents.
Specter questioned whether the 2005 Super Bowl win by the Patriots over the Philadelphia Eagles, who play in Specter's home state of Pennsylvania, was achieved unfairly.
Goodell said after he punished the Patriots for the spying that there was nothing to be gained by keeping the tapes.
"I think there are very good explanations for the reason why I destroyed the tapes or had them destroyed by our staff," Goodell told a news conference on February 1.
"They were totally consistent with what the team told me. There was no purpose for them."
After the NFL confiscated the tapes, Goodell fined the Patriots $250,000 and forced them to forfeit a first-round draft pick. Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for his role in the scandal.
(Writing by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)
© Copyright 2008 Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third-party content providers. Any copying, republication, or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
