NFL Releases Statement on New England Patriots Videotaping Controversy

The New England Patriots were caught in the middle of a huge scandal. Their cameraman was caught recording the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline in Cleveland. The situation got out of control, and many analysts said that the Patriots were actually involved in another Spygate scandal. The NFL started off an investigation to determine whether the recording was in some way linked to the football team. There were numerous reports suggesting that the NFL would punish the team. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots are actually expected to be punished by the league.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league has yet to make a decision on the videotaping scandal. The league confirmed that the cameraman broke the rules, but they haven’t confirmed that the recording is linked to the football operations.

The Patriots took responsibility for the recording, and the cameraman was suspended. Head coach Bill Belichick said his players were in no way related to this scandal, adding that the team only watches the videos released on TV. Yes, the organization committed a game-day violation. The cameraman was working on a documentary for the team called “Do Your Job,” and didn’t know anything about the rules.

Schefter’s report suggested that the Patriots may face punishment for the 8-minute video, noting that the team may lose a draft pick. Schefter cited previous scandals. Former Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer was suspended four games without pay and the Browns were fined $240K for in-game texting.

The Atlanta Falcons lost 5^th-round pick, and the team was fined $350K. President Rich McKay “was suspended from competition committee for piping in crowd noise.”

Well, the NFL responded to this report, adding that it’s just speculation.

“There has been no discussion of any potential discipline,” the league said

According to some reports, investigators are waiting for the rest of the reports to make a conclusion.

The season is over for the Patriots after they lost the wild-card game to the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Belichick is already thinking about the next season. 2020 will be their season, and hopefully, Tom Brady will join the team.