Patriots Clarify Reports of Team Video Crew Filming at Browns-Bengals Game

The New England Patriots released a statement Monday night in an attempt to clarify an earlier report from ESPN’s Diana Russini that a team-credentialed videographer was not in fact filming the Bengals’s sideline during the first quarter of last week's Cincinnati-Cleveland game for competitive advantage purposes.

The team says that a production staffer was filming an episode of the team’s “Do Your Job” series for Patriots.com, focusing on the role of an advance scout. 

According to the team, the member of 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,” the statement read. "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 the footage to the league and cooperated fully… We accept full responsibility for the actions of our production crew at the Browns-Bengals game.”

The NFL is investigating the incident, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano, and the league has a copy of the video.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick told WEEI earlier Monday that the team’s football operation has nothing to do with the production side and that their scouts know the league’s policy about what you can’t film at games.

"They 100 percent know, all of our scouts, all of our video people and everything, they know what that is," Belichick said. "Again, I have nothing to do with the TV production shows and stuff like that. I have no idea what they do. Or what their projects are and everything else.”

In 2007, New England was punished by the NFL for videotaping the Jets’ defensive playcalls on the sideline of a 38-14 Patriots victory. The Patriots were forced to give up their first-round draft pick in 2008 and Belichick was fined $500,000.

The team was also ordered to pay $250,000 for the “Spygate” incident.

The Patriots visit the Bengals this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.