Prior to Sunday’s Patriots-Bengals game, Fox NFL Sunday aired video footage it claims shows a Patriots film crew employee filming the Bengals’ sideline during a game last Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland.
The video obtained by Fox host Jay Glazer shows a Patriots film crew recording from the press box, including the Bengals’ sideline and the Bengals taking the field. Bengals security officials confronted two film crew members in the press box and asked “How did you not know?” in regard to the NFL rule prohibiting filming sidelines. A Patriots crewmember responds “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
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The Patriots crewmember continues, saying “but I can delete this right here for you.” The Bengals security team member laughs and says “the damage is done, my friend.”
FOX SPORTS EXCLUSIVE: @JayGlazer reveals footage of Patriots filming Bengals. pic.twitter.com/C7U7mopaEm
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) December 15, 2019
The Patriots released a statement on the incident last Monday saying the organization’s content team sent a three-person video crew to Cleveland to film one part of a feature documentary on the Patriots’ scouting department. The crew, which included independent contractors, did not have specific knowledge of league filming rules at the time, according to the organization, and the crew inappropriately filmed the field from the press box at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Later in the video show by Fox on Sunday, the Bengals security member says “yeah, I don’t see the advanced scout in any of this video you’re shooting.”
The Bengals were reportedly ‘livid’ after learning about the Patriots actions, 12 years after the infamous Spygate incident.
“They’re not getting out of this one,” a league source with close ties to the Bengals told the Globe on Monday. “They got caught red-handed. I mean, dead to rights. Too much of this stuff is on tape.”
The Washington Post reported that the Patriots will likely face a fine and the loss of a lower-level pick.
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Brandon Chase can be reached at brandon.chase@globe.com.