20-Year-Old Whine: Steelers Claim Patriots 'Cheated'

Former Pittsburgh Steelers greats Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis allege that the New England Patriots stole signals in the 2004 AFC Championship Game.

As the New England Patriots begin to glean knowledge from former Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott and Will Grier ahead of Sunday's game in Arlington, old opponents are making new allegations about cheating.

The Patriots were the envy of the NFL for 20 years, but they were no stranger to controversy during that time.

Over their dynastic run, the Patriots were the subject of multiple cheating accusations. There was Spygate, in which the New York Jets alleged that the Patriots illegally recorded their defensive signals, and Deflategate, where the Indianapolis Colts accused the Patriots of purposefully under-inflating footballs. 

Even after New England's dynasty has faded, the Patriots are still facing accusations of cheating during the glory days. This time around, the whining is coming from some of their old rivals, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Jerome Bettis. Specifically, the former Steelers greats are alleging that the Patriots stole Pittsburgh's signals during the 2004 AFC Championship Game.

“To be fair, the Patriots cheated,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast.

Replied Bettis, “For sure they did. There’s not even a question mark. It’s not even a question in my mind.”

Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis say the Patriots stole their signs and cheated in the 2004 AFC Championship Game.

🎥: Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger pic.twitter.com/ng5JKhkEmF

— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) September 25, 2023

Bettis then backed up his point by pointing out a specific instance where the Patriots called a suspicious timeout before a crucial Steelers' 4th down. To Bettis, New England knowing to call a timeout in that specific situation was a bit too convenient. The fact that Bettis then fumbled on the ensuing play, and Tom Brady hit Deion Branch for a 60-yard Patriots touchdown immediately after, surely doesn't help ease his superstitious beliefs.

“It was 4th-and-1, they call a timeout,” Bettis said. “Who goes to the sideline when it’s a timeout? The defensive captains. [Ted] Washington, the nose guard, they pulled him to the sideline. ... They stopped us on fourth down. That’s a critical play in the game. They had our signs and they called a timeout to get ready for that play because they knew it was coming.”

While Bettis may believe he and the Steelers were wronged, his claim has several holes, as Pats Pulpit notes. For starters, Washington wasn't even on the Patriots that season, as he signed with the then-Oakland Raiders as a free agent the previous offseason. Secondly, the Patriots didn't call a timeout before that Steelers' 4th-down play.

Additionally, deciphering an opponent's signals isn't illegal, and never has been. If the Steelers were using signals obvious enough for the Patriots to figure out, then there's nothing wrong with New England outsmarting them. Yes, the Patriots were punished by the league for Spygate a few years later, but that was due to them filming the Jets in an illegal manner, not stealing the signals themselves.

The Patriots defeated the Steelers 41-27, then went on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl 39. Even 20 years later, the Steelers still seem to be upset over their AFC Championship Game defeat.