The Indianapolis Colts have been accused in the past of intentionally amplifying the sound inside the RCA Dome to distract opponents, but the NFL says the unusual noises heard during the Colts-Patriots game Sunday were the fault of the CBS television network.
"CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts game was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast," the league said. "It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium."
CBS officials did not offer additional details, referring only to the league's statement. The telecast received the highest overnight rating, 22.5, of any Sunday afternoon regular-season NFL game since at least 1987 and had a 39 share nationally.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, a 14-yard pass from Tom Brady to Randy Moss, the crowd noise is heard before and during the play, then immediately cuts out when Moss is tackled. In addition, there appeared to be a vibration in the sound while the crowd was cheering.
A report on yahoo.com said Patriots president Jonathan Kraft complained to NFL vice president of security Milt Ahlerich afterward. Kraft is the son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Any enhancement of crowd noise would violate NFL rules, and Patriots spokesman Stacey James denied the team either filed or intended to file a formal complaint with the league.
It's not the first time Indianapolis has been accused of such tactics. The Pittsburgh Steelers complained about the same thing after a 26-7 loss at the dome in November 2005. Since then, other teams have informally contended there is artificial noise pumped into the dome.
The Colts have continually denied the accusations, and issued their strongest worded statement yet on Monday.
"We trust this will put an end to the ridiculous and unfounded accusations that the Colts artificially enhanced crowd noise at the RCA Dome in any way," the team said.
Source: Xinhua/Agencies
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