Former Jets Coach Eric Mangini Regrets Squealing About Spygate

Nov 13, 2008; Foxboro, MA, USA; New York head coach Eric Mangini on the sideline during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Remember the Mangenious? Of course you do. Former Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who made a lot of headlines while coaching our beloved Jets, and blew the whistle on the Spygate scenario. That situation came back up when Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated in a radio interview that the Patriots Super Bowl wins are tainted, due to the scandal. He retracted later, but we all know that we at least partially feel the same way.

Looking back, Mangini regrets turning New England in, and he talked about it on NFL Live today, and here are some of the quotes:

“If there is a decision I could take back it’s easily that decision. Never in a million years would I have wanted it to go this way. It’s disappointing whenever it comes up … It’s regret, it’s disappointment, it’s all of those things. Because I know what it took to win those Super Bowls and I have so much respect for the people that were involved there. I’m disappointed that this is what it’s translated into.”

People at the time thought he was trying to get his former boss, which he denies saying how he just didn’t want it to go on at his home stadium.

“Never in a million years did I expect it to play out like this. This is one of those situations where I didn’t want them to do the things they were doing. I didn’t think it was any kind of significant advantage, but I wasn’t going to give them the convenience of doing it in our stadium, and I wanted to shut it down. But there was no intent to get the league involved. There was no intent to have the landslide that it has become.”

What prompted him to think back was having to sit with Teddy Bruschi on the set, and listen to him defend the Patriots accomplishments:

“To have guys like Tedy have to defend the championships that we earned in New England, and to have anything taken away from the Kraft family, from Coach Belichick, and the players and coaches that have meant so much to me, never in a million years did I think it was going to translate into what it was going to translate into. It doesn’t tarnish what we achieved there. It doesn’t tarnish what they achieved after the fact. I think when you look at the history of success that they had after that incident, it’s pretty obvious that it didn’t play any type of significant role in the victories we had or the success that we had.”

I am sure that anyone reading this article agrees with John Harbaugh.  I know I do.  My opinion, Eric wouldn’t have blown the whistle if he didn’t want to do it.  My hunch is that he is getting the coaching itch, and he knew he had to apologize for turning another coach in, a member of the “fraternity”, or he would never have a chance for a job again.  This was likely an attempt to work his way back into the good graces of the NFL.  Whether he meant it or not, it probably helped.