In the wake of the Sal-Alosi-tripping-Nolan-Carroll incident, Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff – who came off as a pretty cool guy on “Hard Knocks†– claimed (and rightfully so) that other teams pull similar stunts on their sidelines (though, perhaps not as blatantly as the Jets and not as caught on national TV). Said Westhoff during a recent radio interview: "Well, if you watch (the Patriots), their defense when the opponents’ punt team is out there, they’re up there pretty close to the line so it looks like they are trying to do it. Now are they doing anything illegal? Are they tripping anybody? Heck no. I’m not saying that. That’s not the point. But, yeah, they’re lined up there. Is it making a difference? I don’t know.†Now, the NFL is investigating the comment, because, in the NFL, it’s frowned upon to accuse another team of rule-breaking without producing proof. "It’s something that we’re looking into, our staff has been looking into and I expect to get a report within the next day or so," commissioner Roger Goodell said, via the Boston Globe. Source: cbssports.com
And isn't there enough film of the Patriots (or any other NFL team) to show it if they are doing something illegal?
