Former Panthers fullback Brad Hoover believes the Patriots cheated in Super Bowl XXXVIII

Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, right front, is mobbed by his teammates after kicking a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to beat the Panthers 32-29 inSuper Bowl XXXVIII. AP

By PJ Wright @ThePJWright

February 6, 2016

1 minute to read

A lack of hard evidence isn’t keeping former Panthers fullback Brad Hoover from believing the Patriots benefited from cheating in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

“Can I prove they cheated? No. But just deep down in my heart, I think they did,’’ Hoover told WFNZ 610 AM on Thursday.

Hoover, who spent his entire 10-season NFL career in Carolina, told the Charlotte radio station that he still believes the Patriots spied on the Panthers to learn their game plan before Super Bowl XXXVIII. The Patriots edged the Panthers, 32-29, thanks to a field goal by Adam Vinatieri in the closing seconds.

“At halftime, we changed our whole offensive game plan, and that’s one of the advantages of having the long intermission,’’ Hoover said.

“I feel like it was that reason because we were going through the same conversations: ‘Hey, we know what we’re doing; how did they know what we were doing?’ The play in the second half was a lot different. We were able to put a lot more points on the board and I think that’s a part of it.’’

Listen to the entire interview:

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Hoover isn’t the only one associated with the Panthers who remains suspicious of the Patriots. Former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney described a “culture of cheating’’ in New England in January 2015 after Deflategate began making headlines.