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Bill Belichick.
- The New England Patriots released a statement in response to the NFL investigation into an incident between a Patriots scout and film crew at the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 14 game.
- The Patriots said they were filming an episode of a team-produced documentary titled "Do Your Job" about the scout's work.
- The Patriots said their failure to notify the Bengals and the NFL of the project and the videographer's decision to film the field for the project was an "unintended oversight."
- The Patriots also said the project was separate from the football staff's work, but that they accept responsibility for the incident.
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The New England Patriots on Monday released a statement in response to the NFL's investigation into a Patriots scout and film crew at the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns.
A Bengals official spotted a videographer in Patriots gear in the press box and notified Bengals security. The Bengals confiscated the tape and sent it to the NFL. The league is reviewing what was on the tape.
The Patriots play the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 14.
The Patriots, according to reports, were filming a feature titled "Do Your Job," which looks into the roles of members of the team. They were reportedly filming an episode on the scout's work.
ESPN's Diana Russini reported further details on the incident, some of which were similar to those from the Patriots "Spygate" scandal in 2007 in which they were filming opposing teams. According to Russini, when Bengals security confronted the Patriots' videographer, the videographer asked "if they could just delete the footage, and it'd all be forgotten."
In their statement, the Patriots called the situation an "unintended oversight."
"While we sought and were granted credentialed access from the Cleveland Browns for the video crew, our failure to inform the Bengals and the League was an unintended oversight," the statement read. "In addition to filming the scout, the production crew - without specific knowledge of League rules - inappropriately filmed the field from the press box. The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road. There was no intention of using the footage for any other purpose. We understand and acknowledge that our video crew, which included independent contractors who shot the video, unknowingly violated a league policy by filming the field and sideline from the press box. When questioned, the crew immediately turned over all footage to the league and cooperated fully."
The Patriots also said in the statement that the "Do Your Job" project was not related to the football staff.
"The production crew is independent of our football operation. While aware that one of the scouts was being profiled for a 'Do Your Job' episode, our football staff had no other involvement whatsoever in the planning, filming or creative decisions made during the production of these features.
"We accept full responsibility for the actions of our production crew at the Browns-Bengals game."
On an interview on WEEI on Monday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said the football staff was not involved in the project.
"We have absolutely nothing to do with anything they produce or direct or shoot," Belichick said. "I have never seen any of their tapes or anything else. This is something that we 100% have zero involvement with."
The incident in Week 14 raised eyebrows because of "Spygate." The Patriots were docked a first-round draft pick after the scandal. The league also fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team an additional $250,000.
Read the Patriots statement below:
Statement from the New England Patriots. pic.twitter.com/rhXdwVvnr8
- New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 10, 2019