"It was Trump” - Former US president Donald Trump offered millions in bribes to quash Spygate scandal to preserve Patriots legacy
Donald Trump's list of controversies does not end with politics. The former U.S. president has also been a controversial figure in football's history.
Trump wanted to become an NFL owner back in the 1980s, but all his bids for different franchises failed. He then became the owner of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, but as he tried to force a merger of the USFL with the NFL, he was considered the reason why the USFL was doomed in later years.
Trump's long list of controversies with the NFL does not end there. After he became the U.S. president, the league sparked protests against police brutality, and black players began kneeling during the anthem. There was also a time, way before he was elected president, when he tried to end the New England Patriots' Spygate scandal by bribing then-U.S. senator Arlen Specter.
Interested in betting? The Patriots are favorites against the Dolphins in Week 17
According to reports, the former president met with the late senator in 2008 to offer him tons of money if he dropped investigations into the scandal. Shanin Specter, son of the late senator, confirmed the allegations to the Washington Post.
'“He told me it was Trump," said Specter.
Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, denied these allegations through a spokesperson.
"Mr. Kraft is not aware of any involvement of Trump on this topic and he did not have any other engagement with Specter or his staff," said the spokesperson.
What is the Spygate scandal Trump allegedly tried to end?
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were found guilty of taping the signals of New York Jets defensive coaches during their Week 1 game back in the 2007 season. This scandal was called Spygate. The Jets were coached by Eric Mangini, a longtime Belichick assistant who joined the Patriots' main rivals in 2006.
The cheat was considered one of the biggest controversies in NFL history, and the punishment was harsh. The Patriots were fined $250,000. Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the biggest-ever fine for a coach. The team was also stripped of its first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Later that year, New England was the first - and only to this day - to get a 16-0 record in the regular season. However, the Patriots suffered one of the biggest upsets of all time as they lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants.
As good as Belichick is, Spygate will forever be on his resumè.