The New England Patriots admitted they violated NFL rules after “inappropriately” filming the field when the Cincinnati Bengals played the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in Cleveland.
The Patriots released a statement on the matter after Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters the league was investigating the issue. New England said they have had a content team producing behind-the scenes video features of various departments within the organization for the past year as part of the “Do Your Job” series, and sent a three-person video crew to the Dec. 8 game to capture footage for a feature on the team’s scouting department. The team said they were granted access for the film crew by the Browns, but did not inform the Bengals or the NFL. The Patriots said their “failure to inform the Bengals and the league was an unintended oversight.” They also said the crew “inappropriately filmed the field from the press box” without “specific knowledge of league rules.”
“The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road,” the Patriots said. “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 face the Bengals at 1 p.m. EST Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
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