A big fumble

SAY IT ain't so, Bill.

In 2002, I wrote these fawning words about New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick: "He is a leader, without the swagger, selfishness, and pomposity that so many men in business, politics, and sports embrace as an entitlement of their gender and position."

Five years and three Super Bowl victories later, Belichick looks as selfish, pompous, and egotistical as anyone else - and as willing to cheat to gain an edge.

The National Football League determined that the Patriots videotaped coaches for the New York Jets sending signals to players on the field, in violation of league rules. If that's true, the Patriots coach should be suspended. In a statement yesterday, Belichick alluded to his "interpretation of the rules," and then apologized "to everyone who has been affected."

The spectacle of hot air meeting cold calculation in Washington is certainly more important than what happens on any playing field. A hapless Congress losing the public relations battle to General David H. Petraeus ensures an ugly war waged on a false premise will go on. Even the colossal flop involving Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards inspires musings about the risk of celebrity launched on thin talent, and the need for every woman to have a friend honest enough to say, "Yes, that makes you look fat."

But there's something about sports and sports-related scandal that fascinates, even for those who are not diehard fans. And there's something about the Belichick-Patriots saga that makes it about more than just jocks behaving badly.

When the Patriots, under Belichick's command, won that first Super Bowl in 2002, the New England region rightly celebrated a victory rooted in perseverance and commitment to honest teamwork. Remember, it was news that the Patriots ran out onto the field as a group, turning down the opportunity to be introduced as individual stars. In victory, Tom Brady, the Pats' young quarterback star, modestly thanked Belichick for "teaching me the game of football."

Sportswriters who long ago crowned Belichick a defensive genius celebrated his brilliance, now backed up by Super Bowl wins. The late author David Halberstam chronicled the Belichick mystique in "The Education of a Coach." Belichick, he wrote, "was not a man of charisma, but rather a quiet man of chalk." Belichick's game plan is supposedly the product of extraordinary intellect and devotion to watching and rewatching old football film. The presumption was that he scrutinized his opponent's play after they clashed on the field, not that he videotaped their signals during the game.

Belichick's image has suffered in recent years. The coach was named as the other man in an unpleasant New Jersey divorce case. The stoic, brainy leader in the unpretentious sweats is now revealed as someone edgier and more ego-obsessed. He couldn't stand it when his assistant left to coach the Jets. He shoved a Globe photographer who tried to capture their postgame handshake, and later apologized. He forgot where he came from and his own path to upward mobility, from assistant to head coach. The coach's image was just that - spin, smoke, and mirrors, a carefully cultivated mirage.

The team he coaches is less heroic, too. Brady is now known for dating a supermodel and posing for fashion shoots, as much as he is known for tossing a football. He is perhaps even better known for the child he fathered with his now former girlfriend. Rodney Harrison, a Patriots safety and team leader, was recently suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The Patriots still run out on the field as a team. But they are now like other franchises that pin their Super Bowl hopes on stars like Randy Moss. Winning is everything, and the team will pay any price to do so. They will also videotape another team's signals, to gain an edge in a football game.

To some extent, you can blame their fans for that. Three Super Bowl victories are not enough. The fans want excellence and excitement, but above all, they expect success. Success means one thing: another Super Bowl ring.

In the quest for another Super Bowl victory, Belichick decided honesty and defensive genius only go so far.

This year, he set up Bill Belichick Inc., a for-profit corporation for endorsements, television appearances, and speeches. It's a tarnished brand.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.