NFL Investigating the Patriots for Cheating. Again.

BY ADAM GREENE

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A New England Patriots employee was busted recording the coaches and staff on a team’s sideline that, in fact, did not belong to the New England Patriots. A clear violation of NFL rules or, for lack of a better term, cheating.

No, you haven’t accidentally hopped into a souped up DeLorean and traveled back to 2007. This happened this weekend when a Patriots videographer, allegedly recording a scout for a segment of “Do Your Job” at the Cleveland Browns vs Cincinnati Bengals game was busted pointing his camera not at said scout, but instead at the Bengals coaches on the sidelines.

The Bengals. That’s right. If Bill Belichick are guilty of Spygate part two they were busted because they were trying to steal defensive signals from the 1-12 Bengals.

That sounds about right.

Of course, the Pats had an excuse ready to go and NFL Network’s Adam Schefter was more than happy to parrot it right out of his twitter hole.

Schefter’s “source,” who is probably not employed by Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots football club at all was quick to wave away any controversy. That it was all innocent public relations stuff for their webshow.

When a Bengals staffer busted the videographer, he was so innocent of any wrongdoing that he asked to “delete the footage and it all be forgotten.” Because that’s what you do when you’re innocent. Destroy evidence.

The NFL’s crack investigative squad has opened a case, but for those of us already cynical over the first outright cover up of the original Spygate led by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, there’s not a lot of hope anything will be resolved to anyone’s satisfaction.

When Schefter’s shielding wasn’t good enough and no one managed to destroy or erase the tape this time (like Goodell ordered in 2007), New England finally had to admit their guilt. Only it was an accident. They promise. And we should believe them because their track record is one of honestly, fair play and integrity.

“On Sunday, Dec. 8, the content team sent a three-person video crew to the Bengals-Browns game at FirstEnergy Stadium in order to capture one part of a longer feature on the Patriots scouting department, in this case a Patriots pro personnel scout while he was working in the press box,” the team’s statement said. “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 (uh huh) was an unintended oversight (sure). In addition to filming the scout, the production crew — without specific knowledge of League rules (makes sense) — inappropriately (you don’t say?) filmed the field (not you guys) from the press box. The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road (what other reason could there be?). There was no intention of using the footage for any other purpose (I’m convinced). We understand and acknowledge that our video crew, which included independent contractors who shot the video, unknowingly (Ok, *wink*) violated a league policy by filming the field and sideline from the press box.”

As much as everyone hates the NCAA, make no mistake. After the team got busted cheating the first time back in 2007, they would have been stripped of all their titles, all their wins and Belichick would have been banned from the league for life. Goodell covered up for him, not only destroying the SpyGate evidence we know about, but likely hiding the fact that the Patriots taped the St. Louis Rams walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI.

Fun fact, in no other investigation, BountyGate on down, did Goodell feel the need to destroy evidence before it was viewed publicly. In fact, Rog had no problem with the audio of then New Orleans Saints defensive Gregg Williams calling on his team to hurt opposing players in exchange for fabulous cash and prizes getting leaked. Those Spygate tapes, though. They had to be immediately destroyed.

But we’ve got one this time and the news is out before Goodell could get his grubby little hands on it and cover it up, for whatever good it will finally do.

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