How the Alex Cora cheating scandal compares to the Patriots’ Spygate
As Alex Cora awaits his fate, you may be reminded of what happened to Bill Belichick more than a decade ago.
As Alex Cora awaits his fate, you may be reminded of what happened to Bill Belichick more than a decade ago.
Cora, the former Houston bench coach, has found himself in the middle of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal – his name appeared 11 times in Monday’s report issued by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, saying he was an “active participant in the scheme’’ in Houston and that he “implicitly condoned the players’ conduct.’’
The future of the Red Sox skipper remains up in the air, with Manfred saying in the report that Cora will be punished after the league completes its investigation into a similar cheating scheme by the Red Sox in 2018.
The punishment of a head coach sounds all too familiar to area fans.
In 2007, the Patriots were accused of filming signals of an opponent from their own sideline during a game. Belichick showed there was a path back from scandal.
Robert Kraft stuck with his head coach and took the hit from commissioner Roger Goodell – the team was fined $250,000 and docked a first-round draft pick. In addition, Belichick was fined $500,000, and the Patriots lost their first-round draft pick (it would have been No. 31).
While Belichick wasn’t suspended, there was no wavering on Belichick from Kraft – in fact, Belichick got a contract extension in the midst of the chaos. And it turned out to have a galvanizing effect on the New England roster.
The 2007 Patriots used the penalties (and the ill will they produced) to forge one of the more remarkable regular seasons in NFL history. The team ended up rallying around the coach, going 16-0 and blazing a path to Super Bowl XLII. The run eventually led the way to three more Lombardi Trophies.
Meanwhile, the 2012 Saints saw the opposite happen after scandal.
Head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams were both suspended — Payton for the 2012 season, Williams indefnitely, though it was overturned — after an NFL investigation found that coaches promised players bonuses for knocking opponents out of a game. Without Payton, the 2012 Saints started 0-4 and finished 7-9, out of the playoffs.
The punishment MLB inflicted on the Astros might be more severe than both those cases. GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were both suspended for one season; later, owner Jim Crane fired them. The Astros lost their first- and second-round picks in the next two drafts and were fined $5 million.
Right now, Cora is in limbo, and fans are left to between the lines on ownership comments — team brass is scheduled to attend Red Sox Winter Weekend in Springfield.
In 2007, Belichick quickly found he had the support of his players and ownership. Will Cora find the same in the coming days?
In the end, the parallels between what Belichick went through and what might happen Cora are fascinating to consider. Regardless of what awaits Cora, he might be wise to track down his fellow coaching compatriot sometime in the next few days to discuss what the next chapter of his career might look like.
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