PHOENIX — A member of the New England Patriots’ video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl, a Boston newspaper reported Saturday.
The NFL, however, said it was satisfied this was not another Spygate.
“We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it. There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. The Patriots denied the story was true.
Citing an unidentified source, the Boston Herald reported that a Patriots employee recorded the Rams’ walkthrough at the Superdome in New Orleans a day before the Super Bowl. New England beat the Rams, who were two-touchdown favorites, 20-17 for its first NFL title.
The Herald reported that a source close to the Patriots in the 2001 season said the team held a walkthrough before the game on Feb. 3, 2002. After the Patriots took a team picture, a member of their video department stayed inside the stadium and taped the Rams’ session.
A walkthrough is done without pads or helmets, giving teams a chance to practice their formations.
It was not known whether the cameraman was told by the Patriots to film the practice or what he did with the tape, the Herald said.
Early this season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick after the Spygate scandal. The Patriots were accused of videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches as they signaled to players.
Goodell talked about Spygate on Friday. He said he did not think the Patriots used such tapes to win previous titles.
Goodell also defended his decision to destroy notes and videotapes linked to Spygate, saying “there was no purpose for them.”
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who sent Goodell a letter asking for an explanation, said Goodell’s response “didn’t make any sense at all.”
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