On Wednesday, July 5, 1972, J.D. Roberts, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, received a mysterious phone call. The caller identified herself only as “Miss Ramsey,” and told Roberts she had something of interest for sale: a playbook belonging to the Los Angeles Rams, the Saints’ opponent in the season opener two months later.



Miss Ramsey called Roberts twice that afternoon. On the first call, she offered to sell Roberts the playbook for $500. But on the second call, she told Roberts that her husband had changed his mind and decided $500 just wasn’t enough. Now she wanted $2,500.



Roberts was about to start his second full season in charge of the Saints. In his first season-and-half — he assumed the job midway through the 1970 campaign — he had gone just 5-14-2. Certainly his team needed any and every advantage it could find. But when Roberts got off the phone with Miss Ramsey, he called Jack Danahy, the NFL’s security...