The punishment is in and it appears that the league has decided
that cheating the rules which has happened for a long time in the NFL is going
to carry some serious consequences.
New England coach Bill Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of
$500,000 Thursday and the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000 for spying on an
opponent's defensive signals.
The commissioner also ordered the team to give up next year's
first-round draft choice if it reaches the playoffs and second- and third-round
picks if it doesn't. If the Patriots lose their first-rounder next season they
still will have a first-round pick, obtained from San Francisco in the deal that
brought Moss from Oakland.
The videotaping came to light after a camera was confiscated
from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella while he was on the New York Jets'
sideline during New England's 38-14 win last Sunday at Giants Stadium.
NFL rules state "no video recording devices of any kind are
permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker
room during the game." They also say all video for coaching purposes must be
shot from locations "enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead."
"I accept full responsibility for the actions that led
to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every
person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the
embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to
Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few
days and throughout my career.
As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline
video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used
sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress.
Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our
football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all
accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the
Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect.
With tonight's resolution, I will not be offering any
further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for
Sunday's game"
That should end this story for now, but the question of how often this
happens remains unanswered.
