Patriots fined, lose draft pick for filming Bengals' sideline
CINCINNATI — The NFL has handed down multiple penalties to the New England Patriots after their television crew was caught filming the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline during their Dec. 8 game against the Cleveland Browns.
The league fined the Patriots $1.1 million and New England is losing its third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
The Patriots' television crews won't be allowed to shoot any games during the 2020 season and senior club officials are required to take a training course on league operation and game policies.
The New England production crew was credentialed by the Browns to take video for a Patriots web series called "Do Your Job." The Patriots didn't tell the Bengals or the NFL about their plans. They said it was an "unintended oversight."
The organization admitted that the crew inappropriately filmed the field and sideline.
"The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road," the Patriots said in a statement. "There was no intention of using footage for any other purpose."
New England suspended David Mondillo during the NFL's investigation. The league has banned him from NFL facilities until further notice according to Reiss.
The Patriots aren't expected to contest the NFL's decision. The organization has maintained that the film crew, which was made up of mostly contractors, didn't have any contract with the football side of the operation.
New England beat Cincinnati 34-13 on Dec. 15, which was one week after the incident in Cleveland.
