Feb 22, 2008 9:06 am US/Mountain
Report: Belichick Videotaping Since 2000
Former Player Cited In Newspaper Report
BOSTON
A former Patriots player told the New York Times the Patriots have been videotaping the signals of opposing NFL coaches since Bill Belichick's first preseason with the team in 2000.
The unidentified player told the paper that videotaped information from the 2000 preseason was used in that year's regular-season opener against Tampa Bay, which was Belichick's first season as head coach.
The Times also cited "several executives in the league" who claimed the Pats were caught taping a Giants defensive assistant giving signals during the final preseason game of 2006.
Belichick and the Patriots have not commented on the Times report.
The NFL's investigation into "Spygate," began last September when the league confiscated tapes from a Patriots employee who recorded the New York Jets' defensive signals from the sideline during the opening game of the 2007 season.
As a result of that investigation, New England coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team was fined $250,000 and forfeited its 2008 first-round draft choice.
Six confiscated tapes and other documents pertaining to the Patriots' taping were subsequently destroyed by the league. Goodell has defended the destruction of the tapes.
Belichick later admitted he misinterpreted the league's rules on videotaping.
Just before the Super Bowl in February, the Boston Herald reported the Patriots may have taped a Rams walkthrough practice before the 2002 Super Bowl. Belichick denied it in an interview with the Boston Globe last week.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
