Patriots fined $1.1M, docked 2021 NFL Draft pick in latest cheating scandal
Members of the Patriots' TV team were seen recording from the Cincinnati Bengals' press box
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The NFL hit the New England Patriots with new penalties Sunday after members of their TV team were spotted recording from the Cincinnati Bengals’ press box during a game against the Cleveland Browns last season.
The Patriots were fined $1.1 million and will forfeit their third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft as penalties.
The league also barred the TV crew from shooting any games during the upcoming season.
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Of course, this wasn’t the first time the NFL has come down on the Patriots in recent years.
Earlier, there was “Spygate”, when the Patriots recorded defensive coaches’ signals from an unauthorized stadium location. It triggered a $500,000 fine for head coach Bill Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the organization and the loss of its first-round draft pick in 2008.
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This time around, the Patriots confessed and complied with this latest investigation after they were caught in the act by the Bengals’ security. The Patriots’ explanation was that a video crew hired by the organization mistakenly “inappropriately filmed the field from the press box” for a “Do Your Job” video series on an advance scout to publish on the team website.
Separately, the league fined the Patriots $1 million and took away a 2016 first-round draft pick over Deflategate, which also resulted in a four-game suspension for quarterback Tom Brady.