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September 11, 2007

NFL: No official decision made

Hey all --

This is what we've written for the Journal concerning "camera-gate":

A spokesman for the National Football League Tuesday night denied ESPN and NFL Network reports from earlier in the day that the league had found the New England Patriots guilty of violating league rules by taping defensive signals during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Greg Aiello, NFL senior vice president of media relations, said there had been no official determination made and that the Patriots had not been notified of any decision, nor has head coach Bill Belichick been summoned to league offices in New York City for a Friday meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell.

“There’s no decision. When there is one, it will be communicated to everyone properly,” Aiello said.

Asked if the league had or will make a phone call to the team, Aiello replied, “I’m sure there’s been many. It’s standard procedure: if you’re looking into a matter, you have to (talk to) both sides.”

NFL security officials confiscated a video camera and tape from New England video assistant Matt Estrella during the game; Estrella was on the Patriots’ sidelines while he was taping New York’s signals.

League rules prohibit teams from using video recording devices in the coaches’ booths, on the field or in the locker room during a game.

Also Tuesday, NFL Network reported that “more evidence was pouring in” to link New England to videotaping signals.

Aiello said the league had nothing further to report when asked if more teams had leveled accusations against the Patriots.

Both the ESPN and NFLN reports said that Goodell was considering sanctions against the Patriots, which could include losing draft picks, fines and/or suspensions.
When the Patriots were contacted for comment on the reports Tuesday night, they deferred all calls to the league office in New York.

Former Houston Texans general manager and current CBS analyst Charley Casserly was the first to report on the Patriots’ alleged use of videotaping last season. In December, Casserly said on the network’s pregame show that the Pats had been warned by the league about having a team official in coaching gear standing on the sidelines with a video camera during one of their first four games of the season. He did not specify which game, though New England’s first four opponents last year were Buffalo, at the Jets, Denver and at Cincinnati.

When asked about Casserly’s December claim, Belichick replied, “Why don’t you go talk to Charley Casserly? He seems to have all the answers on everything, so why don’t you ask him?”

More recently, Green Bay has stepped forward and said that it removed a Patriots’ official – believed to be Estrella – from Lambeau Field during New England’s 35-0 November win over the Packers last year.

The Boston Herald wrote that a member of the Packers’ security staff saw the official videotaping Green Bay defensive signals and relaying them to the Pats’ staff using his own hand signals. The official was asked to leave the field, which he did, but allegedly continued to film and send signals from the tunnel. It was then that he was removed from the stadium.

Detroit and Buffalo have also reportedly complained about similar incidents in their games against New England last year. The Patriots won all three games (two against the Bills).

Estrella is in his third season as a full-time video assistant; the New Bedford native currently lives in Fall River. According to the Patriots’ media guide, his job is to assist video director Jimmy Dee and assistant video director Fernando Neto in editing game and practice tapes for use by team coaches, scouts and players.

A message left at Dee’s residence seeking comment was not returned.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:06 PM | Permalink