Earl Campbell on Bill Belichick: 'If I Was the Commissioner, I Would Fire Him'

Pro Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell barely follows the NFL anymore, and he's not real happy with the league, seeing as it left him crippled and his old team, the Houston Oilers, doesn't exist anyway.

But there's one thing that makes him even more unhappy: Patriotgate. Here's what he had to say about Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the videotaping of opponents' signals, according to Chad Peters of the San Antonio Express-News.

"I think if I was the commissioner, I would fire him," Campbell said. "And I'd also fix it so he couldn't coach in the NFL anymore. And those teams that played (and won three Super Bowls), I'd consider that a tie. The other teams would get a ring, too. .

"We try to teach our young kids how to be honest and all that," Campbell said, "and here we've got grown people. ..... (Belichick) is no better than those guys in baseball taking them steroids.

"..... If they win the Super Bowl, I think there should be an asterisk by the Patriots' name. And if they don't win, I still think there should be an asterisk by their name. Because that's wrong. A lie is a lie."

Yeah, not so sure about that idea to give Super Bowl rings to the 2001 Rams, 2003 Panthers and 2004 Eagles. (Has the whole world forgotten that the 2003 Panthers did their fair share of cheating too?)

Overall, though, I think Campbell is one of those people who has given so much to the game of football that his opinion is worthy of respect, even if it comes off as a tad harsh.