Appeals court shoots down Jets fan lawsuit over Spygate

An appeals court in Philadelphia has essentially ended a Jets fan's pursuit of damages over the Patriots' illegal videotaping of Jets coaches from a 2007 game at the Meadowlands.

A U.S. appeals court today decided to uphold a lower court's ruling that dismissed the lawsuit by attorney Carl Mayer, a Jets' season-ticket holder from Princeton, N.J.

The three-judge panel indicated that it doesn't approve of the conduct of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who was fined $500,000. The Patriots were fined an additional $250,000. But the judges also indicated that fans can protest by refusing to purchase tickets or NFL merchandise. They said fans had no legal right to seek damages in court.

And there was more good news out of Philadelphia for the Patriots. Last night, Sen. Arlen Specter was defeated in a Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. Specter had been an outspoken critic of the Patriots during the Spygate affair, and threatened the NFL with removal of its antitrust exemption over its handling of the controversy.