Patriots Acknowledge Breaking NFL Rules, Say It Was Mistake

The Patriots acknowledged they "inappropriately filmed" a game Sunday that included their next opponent, but insisted it was a mistake that had nothing to do with New England's football operations.

New England released a statement Monday night accepting responsibility for filming the sideline and field during a game between the Bengals and Browns in Cleveland. The Patriots said their production crew was credentialed by the Browns, but did not tell the Bengals or the NFL.

The Patriots said the crew was taking footage of a team scout for an episode of the team's "Do Your Job" series.

"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."

The Patriots called the failure to disclose its filming "an unintended oversight," though acknowledged breaking league rules in "filming the field and sideline from the press box."

The team also noted the production crew is not part of the team's football operation, emphasizing what Bill Belichick said Monday morning on WEEI that the football department has "100 percent zero involvement" with the TV production.

The Athletic reported the video includes being focused on the Bengals sideline for eight minutes.

The NFL is reportedly investigating the video, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday. The Patriots visit the Bengals Sunday.

The incident echoes 2007's "Spygate" scandal, for which the NFL came down hard on the team. The Patriots, who were caught videotaping the Jets' defensive plays on the sideline during a game, lost their first-round pick in 2008 while Belichick was fined $500,000.

An ESPN investigative story from 2015 said one of the excuses the Patriots told their scout team to give if caught filming a team was that they were filming footage for a team show.