Transcripts of Mike Tannenbaum's conference call and Mike Westhoff's news conference with reporters Wednesday regarding the Sal Alosi situation:
GENERAL MANAGER MIKE TANNENBAUM
I just want to update everybody where we are with things and then take some questions after that.
Over the last day, as we continued our investigation, we discovered some new information — that the players at the Miami game were instructed by Sal [Alosi] to stand where they were to force the gunner in the game to run around them. Based on that new information, we've suspended Sal indefinitely, pending further review. Once we got this new information, we actually met with the Commissioner [Roger Goodell] and Ray Anderson this morning. They support this initial decision that we presented to them. The league is going to look into this, as well they should. Then once we get all the information, we'll make a final determination, but based on this information, Sal has been suspended indefinitely.
On how they discovered the new information…
Just to take you through what happened, once we got through the day on Monday going into Monday night, looking at those players, it looked to me that it was unusual for them to be standing that way. Then on Tuesday, we talked to the players involved and that's when we were told that they were asked to stand there by Sal. They were instructed by Sal throughout the game, but specifically, when Miami was punting, they were asked to stand there by him.
On if any disciplinary action will be taken against the players involved…
This is just about Sal. What the league may do going forward, relative to league rule interpretation or rule enforcement, would be questions for Ray Anderson. I think they're looking at the situation from a league-wide standpoint.
On if Alosi could be fired…
All options are certainly on the table. We're going to complete the review, get all the information. Mike Westhoff was not involved, Rex Ryan was not involved, but we just want to be thorough and then make the best decision.
On if he has talked to Alosi regarding this new information and if he acknowledged giving the orders…
Yes, he did. I'll keep the rest of the conversation private between Sal and me. He's aware of the situation of the elevated suspension.
On if he ever mentioned the specifics of ordering players where to stand when he was initially suspended…
Like I said, we've discovered new information that we did not know on Monday and that's what we're acting upon now.
On if he has looked into the possibility of anyone ordering Alosi to instruct players on where to stand…
We have and, based on the information we've gathered, no one did that.
On if the league came to him with the new information…
No, it was something we brought to their attention. On Monday, we were really focused on this situation with the trip, the player's safety, looking at the precedent and multiple calls with the league. The focus of our attention was really on the appropriate punishment given the very unusual act of someone getting tripped and the unsportsmanlike nature of it. We didn't really get to the next part of it until Monday night into Tuesday. If you look at the tape, it's pretty obvious that the way they are standing, they're standing there for a reason.
On if he will see if the players have done this during previous games…
We are still looking at some of that. It's clear that it happened in the Miami game.
On why the team hasn't fired Alosi and what allowed him to keep his job…
We just want to leave all the options on the table. We just want to review everything thoroughly and then we'll make the best decision. Woody [Johnson] and I are in Dallas right now. When we get back, we'll sit down with Rex and we'll go from there. That's where we are as of today and all options are on the table. We haven't made any decisions.
On if any rules were broken…
That would be a better question for the league office in terms of rule enforcement, rule interpretation. Obviously, this is something that went on in the league. I would defer it to Ray Anderson and his group on that. I think that's what they are looking at right now.
On if they added to the punishment because they didn't like the unsportsmanlike conduct…
It was really for the totality of the situation, the unsportsmanlike act of what happened and the fact that we didn't have all the information on Monday. Over the course of the next couple of days, more information came out and that really doesn't sit well with us. That's why we felt like this additional step was necessary.
Again, I'm not ruling out any options moving forward. This is where we are today. Once this information was revealed, we brought it to the league and I wanted to make sure you guys knew exactly where we were. That's where we are as of today and we'll move on from here.
On if Alosi did not reveal all of the information to them on Monday…
That's correct. There was new information that came to light and that's a big concern to us. That's why we felt taking the step today was necessary and appropriate. We didn't have all the information when we initially reviewed the situation.
On if he's surprised that he's had to spend the last few days dealing with this…
I'm really disappointed. Sal has done a lot of great things as our strength and conditioning coach. He's done good things for the organization. I'm very disappointed in what happened, but when you take these steps, it's not without careful thought. We're going to leave it at this stage until we can have a full and complete review of the facts. Once Rex, Woody and I get in a room, we'll go from there. The league knows where we are as of this stage. We've been cooperative. They've been kept abreast of everything as the situation unfolded.
On how long he anticipates the investigation taking…
I don't really know. I don't think it should take long. Like I said, we're cooperating with the league as well. We're out of town right now in Texas, but I don't think this should take very long.
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH MIKE WESTHOFF
On if he was aware of the players standing in a line…
I found out Sunday night that this had occurred. The entire scenario, I knew nothing of it, I didn't know a thing about it. I felt bad that it happened. I felt bad for Sal [Alosi] because I think it was an instantaneous mistake that we all make. It's something regretful and he wishes he hadn't done. When it came to lining guys up, I was like, "Please, give me a break. The whole thing is ridiculous." Then when I saw it, I was like "Whoa." You didn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to see they were lined up.
We went back, Ben Kotwica and I yesterday, went and looked at every single one of ours to see what we were doing. For the most part we saw absolutely nothing until the very end. We saw very little of it until it happened. Then we started to look around to see if anyone else did it. It becomes obvious that there is something similar to it that can do it. Can you line people up close and does it help you? I don't know. Maybe it does. I don't think it does. I don't get involved. I've never believed in it. The game is played on the field. I could care less what is going on on the bench. That's really all I know of it. When you look at other teams, am I going to study what they did on the bench? Please. But because of this, we looked at it.
On if the Patriots have lined players up on the line…
Yes. Were they teaching it? I have no idea. When they punted, were they back? Yes. When the other team punted, were they up tighter? Yes. Absolutely. You can look at it. Look at the tape.
I'm not accusing the Patriots of doing something wrong, maybe they are doing something smart. That's up to you. Just watch the tape. You tell me. I know one thing — I don't teach it, I don't coach it and I'm not aware that it happened. To me, the whole key of it was they were all standing there together and a guy makes a dumb mistake, which he's paid very dearly for. Frankly, I feel sorry for him, I feel bad for him because he made that mistake.
To me that's it as far as I'm concerned. When the game is going on, I walk down by the ball. I've been doing this for years. I walk down as close as I can to the ball. Then I walk back towards the punter or kickoff and everything is out in front of me. For years, I was walking around on canes and things like that, so I never wanted to be "in the road." What goes on on the bench? Immaterial to me.
On if the line had formed multiple times during the Miami game…
That's obviously something that was going on. It's a question that you have to ask. It's something that I had no knowledge and Rex [Ryan] had no knowledge that the guys were doing it. It's not something we're coaching because, No. 1, I'm just saying, if I did it, I'd say, "Hey, yeah, I lined them up, it makes it a little tighter." I'd say, "Yeah, that was a good thing." I don't believe in it. I don't do it. I ignored it and didn't even know it was going on. Absolutely not.
On if Nolan Carroll hadn't tripped, would he have noticed it…
If I saw it and I knew we were doing it for a particular reason, I'd say, "Hey, guys give me a break, that doesn't help. Cut it out." Where did it come from? I have absolutely no idea. Is it something that is a good thing? Do other teams do it? I guess I'd have to research it because I haven't done that. Does it help you on the sideline? I think it's ridiculous. I don't do it, nor do I care if anyone else does it.
On if he believes that is within the rules to have the team form a line on the sideline…
To be honest with you, I don't know that. I know that they give us the "stay behind the white" and they want us to stay behind the line that it's in behind the white, so that's where the guys are. To me, the sidelines are always congested, but I've never had a problem on the sidelines with anything. As I said, I get down; I'm right on the field. I have no concept of what goes on.
The only sideline thing that I've ever made reference to — I did it this year actually, I was pretty proud of it — when we played Houston last year, our double-vise hit a guy from Houston legally and hit him inbounds, hit him so hard that when he ran out of bounds, he ran over into the net, he ran into the kicking net. I said, "This is the kind of football I like." We didn't hit him out of bounds; we hit him [inbounds]. Stuff goes on.
The whole, to me, it's ridiculous. If you thought you could, if a guy ran out — first of all, you can't run out. It's illegal to run out as a flyer. If you're blocked out, you have to make an immediate effort to get back in. That's the terminology of the rule. I teach it that you have to run at a 45-degree angle to get back in. Do I want guys out of bounds getting in the road? Absolutely not. You go back and check, I'm a coach that fought for that. It used to be legal to block guys in the back on punts. You can't do it anymore. I'm fighting to get it changed on kickoff coverage. I don't like any of that kind of stuff, so I'm going to tell someone to line up on the sideline? Give me a break.
On Zach Thomas saying the Jets were coached to make a line on the sideline…
I talked to Zach. First of all, it wasn't an accusation to me. He was really upset. He called me. He said, "Well, I didn't mean it to sound like I was accusing you of something because you know I'm not." I'm like his father, he and I are best friends, and he said it just seemed like they were lined up and I brought it up. I said, "Well, the fact that it's associated with teams, then it comes back to me, but I'm not worried about it because I don't teach it or condone it, and to be honest with you, I don't see gaining any advantage." I have enough trouble with the 11 that are out on the field to be worried about somebody on the sidelines.
To me, the whole thing, as I said, it's just a mistake that the guy made. I wish he hadn't done it and I feel bad for him, but yet you can't tell me that all of us haven't at some time called someone a name, done some dumb thing that we wished we hadn't done. That's all I think it is.
On if it adds more fuel to the rivalry to say that the Patriots may do the same thing…
Maybe it does. I don't mean it to. I don't know, you look at the film, you do the research. Look at film and watch all the teams. I haven't watched them all and you draw your own conclusions. I'm not trying to accuse someone or say they did it, maybe we should've done it. I don't mean that at all, but I don't know, if you do it, then you should own up to it. Obviously, we did it and that's the responsibility there. Was I involved? Nope, not at all.
On if he finds it odd that the players took direction from Alosi…
I don't have an answer to that. I can't answer that because I don't know what goes on with the players, if they did. It would be unfair for me to say. You'd have to ask those guys and get them to do that.
On TE Jeff Cumberland saying it was Alosi's responsibility to monitor players on the sideline…
That's correct.
On the players taking instructions from Alosi on where to stand…
I haven't heard that, so I don't know.
On Cumberland saying they had been lining up all season…
Well, I've watched a lot of our punts and I hate to disagree with you, but I watched every one. Normally, I watch what goes on inside the lines, now I have to watch what goes on outside the lines — stupidest thing I've ever heard of in all my years. I really have enough trouble in there, let alone over here, but we did. We sat down and watched every single one, Ben and I yesterday, like I have nothing else to do, and for the most part we did not see it. It didn't occur, so if they did it, they did a lousy job of it, but hopefully, it's a mistake.
I feel bad that he made that error, I really do. It's a very difficult penalty for him that he's paying, but that's what it was. Do you gain an advantage? I don't know. Watch all the tapes and if someone thinks they gained an advantage, trust me, I've never seen a guy get knocked out of bounds that they gained an advantage by running into people. I haven't seen it yet and, trust me, I watch a lot of film, so I don't think it's a big deal.
On when he noticed it was going on…
We were going over stuff with Ben Kotwica . We were looking for it. "Jeez, people are doing this?"
On if he was protective of his own reputation when the incident occurred…
Anything that occurs when I'm on the field affects me. I coach it all. I'll take all responsibility. I'll take the credit and I'll take the blame. With this, I didn't even know what happened. To me, it doesn't serve any purpose, the tripping part. We're looking at apples and oranges here. Does it serve a purpose to line them up? I don't think it does. I really don't. I don't care who does it. I don't care if every team in the NFL does it. I don't think it serves a purpose. That's my opinion.
On if there's an issue with having players and coaches affect the game by their behavior on the sideline…
That's a valid question. Yes, that's something you don't want anybody to do. Yeah, you shouldn't. You don't need to do it. If anybody else is doing it or everybody is doing it, then they're all going to have to answer those same questions. I think the whole thing is silly. I don't see a purpose served, I truly don't. I just don't see an advantage. Believe me, those two guys in there are blocking the hell out of him. That's what I care about when they run out.
Now if they're running out and people are hitting them, then sure. I haven't seen anybody get hit yet. None of our guys got hit. I haven't seen any of our opponent's guys go out of bounds and get hit. This was the first time, this little tripping thing. Does a guy get knocked down and get up and scramble through it? It happens all the time. To me, I'm not looking at a big sportsmanship issue. To me, one person made a terrible mistake. Believe me, no one is suffering more than he is.
On it being more of an issue of someone trying to injure an opposing player…
You'd have to be a sick individual to have that in mind. I think that's ridiculous. I think that's crazy. I know one thing, when that man was lying there, I went to him and said, "Stay right here. Our guys are coming. We'll get yours over here." He was lying at my feet. I care about players. We're not trying to hurt somebody.
On if Miami was purposely running out of bounds…
That's an official's judgment. If a guy gets knocked out of bounds and he doesn't make an immediate effort to get in, it's an official's judgment to throw the flag. That's all that was.
On if Miami was trying to take advantage of running on the sideline…
Maybe we gave them too much room.
On if teams coach players to run on the sidelines…
No. You can't coach it. It's a penalty. If you get knocked out, you have to get in. We can't go out and hit them out. Those rules are very strict. I was very involved in that as a coach years ago. The rules used to be that if you make contact in, you can carry them out. We carried them out very violently years ago and then they changed it. It's a good rule. If you go out, you have to make an effort to go back in. If you don't, that's a flag.
On when the sideline rule was changed…
It was back in the Nineties. I honestly don't remember exactly. It's been a long time. The rules are very fair. The rules are good. I don't think you gain an advantage by that crap. One guy made a mistake. If somebody lines up, please. I think that's craziness.
