The New England Patriots are explaining themselves after a story hit the news wire, sparking a league investigation, saying that the team had filmed that their production crew inappropriately filmed the field and sideline during Sunday’s game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.
According to ESPN, the Patriots’ crew was credentialed by the Browns to shoot video for a Patriots web series called “Do Your Job,” but the Patriots did not inform the Bengals or the NFL, which they called “an unintended oversight”, and led to the controversy that has dominated NFL headlines on Monday.
“The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road,” the Patriots said in an official statement. “There was no intention of using footage for any other purpose.”
The Patriots went on to say that the production crew, which included independent contractors who shot the video, is not part of the team’s football operation.
The NFL is currently investigating the incident and has a copy of the video, although they have not commented on the incident as of yet.
“They 100% know. All of our scouts, all of our video people and everything, they know what that is,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told WEEI on Monday (h/t ESPN). “Again, I have nothing to do with the TV production shows and stuff like that. I have no idea what they do. Or what their projects are and everything else.
“As I understand it, they were videotaping him, trying to show kind of what an advance scout does, or something Iike that, I don’t know. You’ll have to wait to see the show I guess and see how it’s presented.”
The Patriots and videotaping isn’t something new, as they were punished by the NFL for videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive playcalls on the sideline during a 2007 game at Giants Stadium, a game in which they won, and an incident dubbed “Spygate”. The 2007 fiasco ended up costing the Patriots a 1st round draft pick in 2008, a $500,000 fine for Belichick and the team was orderd to pay $250,000 for the incident.
The Bengals, who flagged media relations and Bengals security staff after observing a videographer shooting the sidelines, play the Patriots this Sunday.