So, here's the deal: Kentucky football coach
Rich Brooks was asked on Sunday if he thought that Middle Tennessee coaches were stealing signs during the Wildcats' 20-14 win against the Blue Raiders last Saturday night.
He said they were. He accused Tennessee of doing it last season, too. As was the case against Tennessee last season, UK coaches had equipment managers cover their backs with towels late in the game last Saturday to obscure the signals from Middle Tennessee coaches sitting in the press box.
Middle Tennessee coach
Rick Stockstill denied stealing any signals, saying his coaches "didn't even try."
Today, Brooks said the story is much ado about nothing, calling sign-stealing a part of the game.
"I think it's very common," Brooks said. "I guess it was made a big deal, but coaches on the sideline always look to see if they can get the read on signals, and that's not an uncommon thing. Somebody asked me a question about it, and I said yeah, I thought they probably got some of our signals. But that's not uncommon. We try to do it, too. Maybe we're not very good at it."
Brooks drew a line between stealing signs and, say, the New England Patriots' "Spygate" scandal, calling sign-stealing "a part of the deal."
"It's different when you've got a video camera up in the box or on the sideline trying to ascertain and build a catalog, but if you're sitting over there and somebody raises their finger as No. 1 and they run that play three times in a row, the next time they raise their finger No. 1, you ought to know what the play is," Brooks said.
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