New England Patriots Fined Over $1 Million As Part of Penalty For ”Spygate II” Scandal

The NFL is cracking down on the New England Patriots after being caught up in the ”Spygate II” scandal last season.

According to Fox News, members of the Patriots organization were seen recording from the Cincinnati Bengals’ press box during a game against the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots played the Bengals the following week.

As a result of the franchise’s deception, the organization was fined $1.1 million and will forfeit their third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the outlet reports.

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However, the penalties didn’t stop there. The league has also barred the team’s TV crew from filming any games during the upcoming 2020-2021 season.

The Patriots owned up to its wrongdoing and complied with the league’s investigation.

“[Their TV crew] Inappropriately filmed the field from the press box,” the team stated, explaining that they were filming for a “Do Your Job” video series on an advance scout to publish on the team’s official website.

This isn’t the first time the Patriots organization has been in trouble with the league. In 2008, head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the organization was fined $250,000, and the team lost its first-round draft pick when the team recorded defensive coaches’ signals from an unauthorized location. The incident was known as “Spygate.”