Possible Sanctions from NFL Investigation of Patriots Revealed

The New England Patriots are facing league-imposed sanctions for its involvement in violating a league policy regarding filming opposing sidelines.

On Sunday, the Patriots were credentialed and approved to shoot footage of an advanced scout for the team on the job in Cleveland helping the team prepare for its upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The crew of independent contractors filmed B-roll footage of the Cincinnati sideline for a Youtube show “Do Your Job”. The show is a behind-the-scenes look at various members of the team’s front office or personnel department and their day-to-day life.

New England is fully cooperating with the league while the investigation remains ongoing. And according to the latest report from The Washington Post, that investigation could wrap up as early as this week.

That same report, published by Mark Maske, states the potential sanctions from the NFL do not appear to be severe. The main focus of the investigation, according to the report, is as follows:

“One consideration for the league, according to that person, is determining whether the video shows anything that could not have been seen on a TV shot or on the coaches’ tape from the game.”

The league imposed swift justice over the Patriots during their 2007 Spygate scandal. Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 — a record amount for a coach in NFL history — and the team was given an additional $250,000 fine for involvement in illegally videotaping the opposing sideline.

New England was also docked its first-round draft pick in 2008, the 31st overall selection, as a punishment for Spygate.

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Cincinnati Isn’t Pleased Over the Issue

The Bengals have taken offense to the issue that occurred in Cleveland over the weekend, reporting the filming activity to the NFL Security onsight. Bengals officials took video of the incident as well and submitted it as part of the investigation.

And according to a report by The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is quite peaved by the situation. Here’s an excerpt from Volin’s report on Tuesday:

The matter was moved without incident to the back of the press box in the dining area, where the Kraft videographer was further questioned. The videographer offered to delete the footage on the spot, but the NFL instead took his video card as evidence.

Multiple sources described Tobin and Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor as “livid” over the incident, and one source said owner Mike Brown is upset as well. The Bengals may be 1-12, but Taylor and his coaching staff are new this year, and the footage could have been useful for the Patriots as they prepare for Sunday’s game.

“This is just bold and reckless,” one source said.

The matter is likely to be rectified by time the teams meet on the field Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. Regardless of the outcome, the exchange between coaches Bill Belichick and Zac Taylor after the game will be one to keep an eye on for a potential altercation.

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