I think in the NFL knowledge is power, and you try to get the knowledge by whatever means.

Sabol frames professional football as an information-driven contest in which advantage often comes from what you know—about opponents’ tendencies, injuries, schemes, and even psychology—rather than from raw talent alone. The line also hints at the NFL’s culture of relentless scouting and film study, where teams seek marginal gains through preparation and intelligence-gathering. Coming from a figure associated with NFL Films and the league’s self-mythologizing, the remark can be read as both descriptive and cautionary: “whatever means” acknowledges the ethical gray areas that can arise when competitive pressure rewards secrecy, surveillance, and opportunism. Ultimately, it underscores that strategy and insight are central currencies in elite sport.