The 2007 New England Patriots videotaping controversy, widely dubbed “Spygate“,refers to an incident during the Football League’s (NFL) 2007 season when the New England Patriots were disciplined by the league for videotaping New York Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals from an unauthorized location during a September 9, 2007 game. Videotaping opposing coaches is not illegal in the NFL de jure, but there are designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping. Because the Patriots were instead videotaping the Jets’ coaches from their own sideline during the game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deemed it to be in violation of league rules, stating that the act represented a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field.

After an investigation, the NFL fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 (the maximum allowed by the league and the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league’s 87-year history) for his role in the incident, fined the Patriots $250,000, and docked the team their original first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft which would have been the 31st pick of the draft. The fine garnered significant media attention for being the “maximum amount” an individual could be fined.

As part of their probe into the allegations, the NFL required the Patriots to turn over all notes and tapes relating to the taping of opponents’ defensive signals; the Patriots did not want the video tapes to leave their facilities, in turn league officials went to Patriots athletic facilities and proceeded to smash the tapes, by order of Goodell.  This action was criticized on February 1, 2008 – 2 days before Super Bowl XLII — by U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, who requested to meet with Goodell. After meeting with Goodell on February 13, 2008 Specter reported that Goodell told him that Belichick had been engaged in the practice since he became head coach of the Patriots in 2000.Belichick said he believed he was operating within the rules as long as the tape was not used during the same game.

Nearly six months after the incident, the Boston Herald reported, citing an unnamed source, that the Patriots had also videotaped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002, an allegation denied by Belichick and later retracted by the Herald. Meanwhile, Matt Walsh, a Patriots video assistant in 2001 who was fired after the team’s 2002 season, told the media the same week that he had information and materials regarding the Patriots’ videotaping practices, but demanded an indemnity agreement before speaking with the NFL.The NFL reached a deal with Walsh on April 23, 2008, and arranged a meeting between Goodell and Walsh.

Prior to the meeting, Walsh sent eight videotapes, containing opponents’ coaches’ signals from the 2000 through 2002 seasons, in accordance with the agreement. Goodell and Walsh met on May 13, 2008, at which time Walsh told Goodell he and other Patriots employees were present at the Rams’ walkthrough to set up video equipment for the game but that there was no tape of the walkthrough made; as a result, Goodell told the media no additional penalties would be brought against the Patriots. Less than 24 hours later, the Herald issued an apology for the article about the alleged walkthrough tape.

On September 10, 2007, Belichick was accused by the Jets of authorizing his staff to film the Jets’ defensive signals from an on-field location, a violation of league rules. NFL Security confiscated the video camera used by video assistant Matt Estrella to film the signals during the game. Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini—a former Patriots assistant coach—had reported the fact that the Patriots were taping from the sidelines to NFL Security.

Mangini later stated, “I didn’t think it was any kind of significant advantage, but I wasn’t going to give them the convenience of doing it in our stadium, and I wanted to shut it down. But there was no intent to get the league involved. There was no intent to have the landslide that it has become   

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