Dolphins Hall of Fame coach Don Shula clarified his comments on the Patriots' "Spygate" scandal today, telling ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" that New England's accomplishments should not have an asterisk attached to them.
"If they run the table, and they win all the games, then they are doing it within the rules of the National Football League," Shula said. "And there shouldn't be any asterisk to it. That would be the accomplishment that they made. It would be the best in all of sports."
Shula's 1972 Dolphins team had a perfect 14-0 record. If the Patriots go undefeated, they "will deserve to be called the best team," said Shula.
The comments were a change from earlier in the week, when Shula told the New York Daily News that the Patriots' accomplishments should have an asterisk next to them the same way that some people think Barry Bonds' home run record should.
Several Patriots players, including linebacker Mike Vrabel, took exception to Shula's comments.
"I think that we try to go out there and play hard every week," Vrabel told ESPN 890. "And I don't think that guys are going to draw on an old retired coach and old washed up players to pump us up. We play hard."
