The Patriots will indeed be punished for their “acknowledged gameday video violations in Cincinnati,” reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that New England did commit a game-day violation, but it’s uncertain if there’s a link to football operations.
Schefter notes that the punishment is likely to come within the next two weeks. The NFL has yet to collect all of the security reports, but there should be clarity once that’s resolved.
Schefter also cited a basis for the impending discipline. Back in 2015, former Browns general manager Ray Farmer violated the league’s electronic device policy by sending text messages to the coaching staff during games. The Browns were fined $250K and Farmer was suspended four games without pay. The same year, the Falcons were forced to forfeit a fifth-rounder and pay a $350K fine after it was found that team president Rich McKay was responsible for pumping in crowd noise during home games (McKay was also suspended from the competition committee).
To review, the Patriots’ media production team was filming a feature on a scout during a Bengals-Browns game in early December. The film crew obtained the necessary credentials to follow the scout to the Cleveland press box. However, part of the B-roll included footage of the Cincinnati sideline, and NFL teams are prohibited from shooting video of coaches on the sideline. Plus, the Pats played the Bengals the following weekend, which led to further questioning about their motives.
The Patriots acknowledged that they should have done a better job advising the crew of league protocol, and they also conceded that they should have informed the Bengals and the league of their intentions prior to the game. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick immediately distanced himself from the incident and was reportedly furious when he learned about it. Commissioner Roger Goodell previously confirmed that the Patriots’ history with illegal videotaping would be factored into the process.
Here we go again!
Get outta here with the uncertain if there’s a link to football ops. It’s been reported by multiple people that the NFL has been desperate to find a link to football ops and they’re mad they haven’t found anything. Because there was never anything there. LFG
It’s rather ludicrous to think that some Patriots executive just handed out a pile of money to some film crew and said “Go have fun and make a documentary…we wan’t nothing in return”.
Right? What documentary about ‘advance scouts’ are they producing anyways. Not a big deal really, but the organization has a track record of these incidents obviously. Fine and a low round pick.
The Pats learned to cover their tracks better.
Of course there’s a link to football ops. It all falls under the Pats. The Patriots would have a say in the final cut of the production. It was their scout who was being filmed. How could there not be a connection. Bill was “furious” because they got caught yet again.
Yeah you’re right Belichick films all the documentaries himself!
Is Belichick the only one that works in the ops dept? No wonder he is so cranky. No one said link to Belichick, ops department is a broad term
Plus the league has said No connection to BB
Lifts rug, sweeps.
Said no one ever! Get over yourself ballgummer !
You guys keep saying that but I just feel like it will be steeped under a rug and forgotten about.
I mean, think about it. BB is getting off with the “I know nothing” defense, despite Sean Payton catching a year suspension for the same defense. Patriots are also repeat offenders here. Not to mention, the last spygate they were told to say they were part of a film crew if they got caught. It all seems a bit much to just say, ‘Well BB seems innocent, and there’s not much to go on so here’s a slap on the wrist’.
Where yo begin. Sean Payton is now part of the investigation? Part of same defense? Too much spoon feeding hurt you, friend.
Just like wth Brady right?
All 2020 draft picks and 50 million in cap space for the next 10 years seems fair.
Goodell has already burned the tape(s) again. So expect a light penalty.
They broke the rules and tried to destroy the evidence.
The do the former every single day, but reserve the latter for an as needed basis.
I’m sorry but enough is enough. Players are getting suspended and losing millions for trying to get an edge. Somebody in charge needs to be held accountable. Whether that’s Bellichic or someone else. The taping of the Rams practices leading up to a Super Bowl decided on a last second field goal is just despicable. If it doesn’t matter than why is it being done
You’re right – except for the fact that it never happened.
Months after the initial Spygate story emerged – and days before the Patriots played in Super Bowl XLII – a story from the Boston Herald alleged a New England employee filmed a walkthrough by the Rams’ offense before Super Bowl XXXVI. The employee was not named in the story.
An investigation of former Patriots employee Matt Walsh later led to Walsh turning over eight videotapes, showing that the Patriots filmed signals in games ranging from 2000-2002. However, a Rams Super Bowl walkthrough was not among them.
Then, in May of 2008, the Herald issued a stunning retraction of the story.
“We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification,” wrote the Herald.
“The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots’ owners, players, employees and fans for our error.”
link to boston.com
I like chicken pot pie
This is a repeat violation and it’s cheating.
You have to keep increasing the penalties until they finally stop.
With Belichick it’s called “plausible deniability.” Blame it on a disposable underling and keep moving. It’s a key ingredient in the hallowed Patriots Way.
Lol. Red meat for the brainless football fans
Doesn’t Seattle openly pump in crowd noise every game?
No. They just designed the stadium’s acoustics so that the crowd would appear to be loud. 12th man needed their tires pumped. Imagine Kansas City or some other fan base in that stadium lol
That very well may be, However it does seem interesting that they are the best team in the league but have been caught filming teams. There is probably many times they have done this and not been caught.
Too bad no happy endings for anybody…..