Don Shula, the legendary Miami Dolphins coach, took a shot at the New England Patriots Saturday over the so-called "Deflategate" scandal, saying that his team won because they "lived by the rules."
Shula, who led the Dolphins to Super Bowl victories in 1973 and 1974, mentioned the controversy while speaking at an event unveiling plans to recognize the
Dolphins' 50th anniversary, the Miami Herald reported.
"(The Dolphins won) with a lot of class, a lot of dignity," he said. "Always done the right way. We didn't deflate any balls. We always tried to live by the rules and set an example."
When asked if the scandal will taint the Patriots' past accomplishments, including four Super Bowl wins under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, Shula reportedly quipped, "I'll pass on that question."
In January, Shula stirred the pot when he was
quoted in a Sun-Sentinel profile calling Patriots coach Bill Belichick "Beli-cheat," in reference to 2007's "Spygate" in which he was accused of using video cameras to tape opposing coaching signals.
That led Rodney Harrison, one of Belichick's former players-turned-announcer, to jump to his former coach's defense on
NBC Sports Radio's "Pro Football Talk Live."
"I just think it's flat-out disrespectful," Harrison said of the "Beli-cheat" comment. "I always have respect for Don Shula. I don't think that Bill Belichick deserves that. People make mistakes and do things, but Bill Belichick has proven that he's the greatest coach of all time."
"You can look at the last decade of what he's done, what he’s been able to accomplish. But it's one of those things where as a coach, another well-respected coach, you don't come out and say those things like that about another coach. I think it's flat-out disrespectful," he continued.
"Pro Football Talk's" Mike Florio said he believed Shula's snubs of Belichick does not fit the crime.
"Shula's comments, rooted in the lingering fumes of Spygate, overstate the value of the infraction (videotaping the opponent’s defensive coaching signals) and overlook the reality that plenty of mild-to-moderate (and worse) cheating occurred throughout the sport before, during, and after Shula's coaching tenure," Florio wrote.
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