On Monday night, Bill Belichick reignited a long-standing controversy, accusing the Indianapolis Colts of using artificial crowd noise during a 2007 game against the New England Patriots.
During an appearance on ESPN’s ManningCast with Peyton and Eli Manning, Belichick claimed the Colts pumped in extra noise over the stadium speakers when the Patriots had possession of the ball – a claim Colts owner Jim Irsay quickly denied the following day.
The conversation began when Manning asked Belichick about preparing his teams to handle the notorious crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Belichick replied by comparing Arrowhead’s noise level to Indianapolis’ RCA Dome, but with a twist.
“I’ll tell you, Peyton, the crowd noise there at Arrowhead wasn’t as bad as it was when you guys piped in music at the RCA Dome,” Belichick said. “And then when the music skipped – when the crowd noise skipped, that’s when we knew you were pumping it in.”
This accusation prompted a swift response from Irsay, who took to social media to firmly refute Belichick’s claims.
“Reminder… ‘piped-in crowd noise’ myth — 1000% fictional,” Irsay posted on X. “And the ‘skip’ was [in] the TV broadcast. We get it, though… visiting teams couldn’t believe that 60,000 in an intimate domed stadium could make that much deafening noise! A credit to Colts fans.”
The issue traces back to the 2007 Patriots-Colts matchup, when some TV viewers reported hearing what they believed was a glitch in artificial crowd noise during the broadcast.
At the time, CBS clarified the situation, informing the NFL that the sound issue was isolated to their broadcast and not something heard inside the stadium.
“CBS has informed the NFL that the unusual audio moment that fans might have heard during the Patriots-Colts telecast was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast,” the NFL said in a statement back in 2007. “The network and the league insisted that it was in no way related to any sound within the stadium.”
The Colts also addressed the issue at the time, adding, “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.”
Despite CBS’s and the NFL’s explanations, Belichick’s remarks 17 years later show that the debate hasn’t faded.
What are your thoughts on the issue? … Do you agree with Belichick that fake crowd noise was pumped in???