Stealing signals series#

It included lawsuits, congressional intervention and claims the NFL tried to cover it up by destroying the original video. The scandal, known as SpyGate, resulted in the NFL stripping the team of a first-round pick, and fining the Patriots $250,000 and Belichick $500,000. The allegation is significant because it comes against the Patriots, who were punished by the NFL for videotaping the defensive signals of the New York Jets from an unauthorized area during a 2007 game. But I know the league is investigating it, so I’ve got no comment.”īill Belichick denies the Patriots had anything to do with 'stealing' signals from the Bengals. On Monday, coach Zac Taylor would only say, “I’m aware that there was an incident. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Bengals believe the Patriots were stealing signals. The Patriots don’t have a copy of the tape, per Russini. The Bengals confiscated the tape and sent a copy to the NFL, which is reportedly conducting an investigation. The cameraman asked if they could just delete the footage and it all be forgotten.” “Bengals security then interviewed the videographer. Most play-calls are communicated via radio speaker inside a player's helmet, so it's debatable exactly what could be learned or what advantage it would bring.Ĭoncerned, “the Bengals employee flagged media relations,” per Russini. However, a source told ESPN’s Dianna Russini that after the videographer conducted a pregame interview with the Patriots scout, a Bengals employee watched a “monitor” that showed the Patriots’ camera “shot was of the Bengals coaches and staff on the sidelines for the entire first quarter.”ĭoing so would allow New England coaches to memorize any signals Cincinnati coaches make to players. The Patriots say that’s why a guy with a camera was at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Stealing signals series#

The Patriots’ in-house media produces a series called “Do Your Job.” This week’s job: advance scout, which sits in the press box and scouts upcoming opponents. Here is a synopsis of the accusation as we now know it: Namely, did the Patriots send a videographer to Cleveland on Sunday to innocently produce a fan feature about the job of an advance scout, or were they secretly filming the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline and coaches’ signals ahead of this weekend’s game between the two teams? On this one, the tape should tell the story. NFL investigations involving New England, or any other franchise or player, have lacked credibility in the past.

The NFL needs to not just preserve any tape that it confiscated Sunday in Cleveland, it should release it publicly as quickly as possible.