Here we go again..it will be interesting to see what comes of this. http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...-loomis-eavesdrop-opposing-coaches-home-games "NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana was told Friday that New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had an electronic device in his Superdome suite that had been secretly re-wired to enable him to eavesdrop on visiting coaching staffs for nearly three NFL seasons, "Outside the Lines" has learned. Sources familiar with Saints game-day operations told "Outside the Lines" that Loomis, who faces an eight-game suspension from the NFL for his role in the recent bounty scandal, had the ability to secretly listen for most of the 2002 season, his first as general manager of the Saints, and all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The sources spoke with "Outside the Lines" under the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from members of the Saints organization. Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, acknowledged being told of the allegations Friday and has briefed the FBI in New Orleans about Loomis' alleged activity, according to sources. If proven, the allegations could be both a violation of NFL rules and potentially a federal crime, according to legal sources. The federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 prohibits any person from intercepting communications from another person using an electronic or mechanical device. "I can say that we were just made aware of that on Friday, at least of these allegations," Letten said. "Anything beyond that I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to comment." Greg Bensel, Saints vice president of communications, said Monday afternoon on behalf of the Saints and Loomis: "This is 1,000 percent false. This is 1,000 percent inaccurate." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was unaware of the allegations. ..... ..... ....."
I think they said the statute of limitations has expired but civil lawsuits and NFL penalties could still be in play.
Loomis denied it, so we will see. Somewhere Bill Belicheck is thinking "what a rookie mistake by Mickey" Couldn't resist ha
This is insane "The sources said when Loomis took his seat during home games, then in the front row of box No. 4 in the 300 level of the Superdome's north side, he was able to plug an earpiece into a jack that was under the desk in front of him. The earpiece was not unlike those used to listen to inexpensive transistor radios, the sources said. With the earpiece in place, Loomis could then toggle back and forth with a switch that he controlled, enabling him to listen to either the game-day communications of the opposing offensive or defensive coaches. Also underneath the desk in front of Loomis, said the sources, was a metal box that contained two belt packs similar to those worn around the waists of NFL head coaches during games. The packs powered the listening device available to Loomis, which was, according to sources, hard-wired to the audio feed of the opposing coaches."
WOW. I wonder if he then communicated to the team during halftime or a separate way. Not a good year for the Sains so far. This is terrible
That's nuts. If they were listening to opposing coaches during their superbowl season the title should be stripped.
Crazy. Guy should be kicked out of the league if true. Worse than Bounty Hunting imo, direct cheating.
Given how far beyond the pale this is, I have to not believe it until there is proof. If it's true, on top of the bounty stuff, he will (and should) be banned for life, and the team will lose at least another first round draft pick.
This Saints organization has been an epic disaster. The things that are being exposed on them are incredibly serious. This will be the end of Loomis.
considering how detailed the reports are, the fact this was listed as being 2002-2004 has me thinking he probably wasn't doing this 2 years ago.
The great thing about this whole story is that the Saints are now threatening to sue ESPN. No matter how that would turn out it would be great fun to watch unfold.
Could have been Katrina. There was significant damage to the Superdome if I remember correctly. So the system they had set up may have been damaged as well. With the new regime coming in with Payton and Brees, Loomis may have felt Payton wouldn't go for it...
Hasn't the precedent already been set with New England? That this is okay? I'm sure the NFL will just destroy any evidence of wrongdoing before there is any kind of transparent investigation, just like they did for The Cheatriots.
Good call. Saints were such a feel good story with their situation and Brees' career. All this is probably tough for their fans to handle
I'm not questioning the story, but rather the motives. I kinda wonder why Loomis would be the one listening, instead of say, one of the lower-level assistants (quality control guys, etc). What is Loomis going to gain by listening during a game to a team that he won't see in person for another 4 years? Was he able to relay information to the coaching staff, or did he do it just for kicks?
