It might strike you as odd that Republican Senator Arlen Specter is spending so much time hemming and hawing about the New England Patriots' possible destruction of video tapes, especially considering other, possibly more important unsolved acts of video tape destruction. But it shouldn't. Specter—who has said his interest in the Pats case was spurred by concerns that the team may have cheated his hometown Eagles out of a Super Bowl—has a long history of sticking his legislative nose into the world of football. With the help of the New York Times archive, stroll with us down the memory lane of displaced priorities and compensating for never making it past JV.

2006: Sen Specter "said he would sponsor legislation to eliminate the antitrust exemption that allows the National Football League to negotiate broadcast rights for all of its 32 teams."

2005: Warned that the Eagle's suspending of Terrell Owens "could be an antitrust violation."

1999: "Introduced a bill that would require teams to set aside 10 percent of television revenue and use the money to pay up to 50 percent of stadium construction costs."

1996: Publicly supported a bill "that calls for any professional sports franchise that relocates and breaks a stadium lease to retire outstanding municipal bonds and repay other public assistance that benefited the team."

1989: Urged the NFL and Players Associations to rid the sport of steroids.

1987: "Introduced legislation calling on the Justice Department to study the implications of new technology—specifically cable television and ''pay-per-view'' services—with regard to antitrust laws and the N.F.L.'s television practices."

1985: Proposed a bill to allow cities to sue in Federal court to prevent football team from abandoning them for more profitable locations.

1983: Sponsored legislation granting professional football leagues a limited antitrust exemption allowing them to adopt rules against the signing of underclassmen.