|
Duane Sampson -> RE:NFL News (9/11/2007 2:22:13 PM)
|
-- Patriots Could Lose Draft Pick(s) over Spying Incident -- Tue Sep 11, 2007 The Boston Herald reports the New England Patriots were caught illegally filming the Jets’ defensive signals Sunday - for at least the fourth time in the past year - and could lose a draft pick as a result, a league source said Monday. The Pats have a reputation throughout the league for such chicanery, noted former competition committee member Charley Casserly, who first broke the story of the Pats stealing signs last year for CBS. But not until the Jets confiscated a camera and sent it to the league offices following Sunday’s game - which HC Bill Belichick admitted being aware of during his weekly visit to WEEI - did rival clubs break their silence. According to league sources, the Packers and Lions also nabbed the Patriots filming their defensive signals, while the Bills suspected it and now are reviewing last year’s game tapes. Casserly’s report dealt with either the Jets, Bills, Broncos or Bengals. "There’s a league-wide perception that this is something they do," one rival executive noted. In each instance, the pattern appears to be the same. A Patriots employee with a team-issued credential records opposing coaches signaling the defensive plays. It’s unclear what the Pats do with the information, though sources in Green Bay believed the cameraman was relaying information to the Patriots bench via hand signals. Earlier this summer, a league spokesman said all 32 teams received a reminder that it is illegal to videotape opposing signals, adding that cameras can’t be used on the sidelines, in the booth, or in the locker room during a game. According to an ESPN report, the eight-man competition committee could investigate. Among its members are Titans HC Jeff Fisher and Colts president Bill Polian, who have clashed with the Pats in the past, as well as Lions GM Matt Millen, whose team believes it caught the Pats doing the same thing last December.
|
|
|
|