The New England Patriots find themselves at the mercy of the National Football League after flouting the rule book once again.
The third major scandal involving the franchise and head coach Bill Belichick is quite similar to the first—after having been punished in 2007 for filming opponents' signals, the team was penalized for improperly filming the sideline of the Cincinnati Bengals last December, one week before the Patriots were scheduled to play them.
In response, the NFL fined the franchise $1.1 million, stripped the team of a 2021 third-round draft pick and banned the video crew from taping games next season.