Bill Belichick

The New England Patriots will receive a $250,000 fine after head coach Belichick set up a system that allowed them to video tape opposing teams hand signals from the sidelines that would give them an edge on figuring out opponents next moves. Belichick has been fined $500k personally for his role as the mastermind in the scheme. The Patriots will also lose their first round draft pick in next years draft. It had been rumored that Belichick and the Patriots had been videotaping opposing team's hand signals for years but no one had been able to catch them in the act until last Sunday's game against he New York Jets. NPR talked with Stefan Fatsis, a sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal who called Bilichick a "control-freak comparable to a 3rd World dictator" and said that although NFL teams regularly study opponent hand signals using binoculars and matching signals to the plays that are run, videotaping on the field is taking it to another level and is against the rules. Jet's coach Eric Mangin formerly worked under BIlichick and had previously complained about the Patriots videotaping on the sidelines. Stefan Fatsis said it is believed that Mangin came into the game prepared to catch Bilichick in the act and used the opportunity to get back at his old boss. Bilichick told press that he did not want to talk about spying at all stating "It's over, I'm moving forward, we're moving on.. it's in the past, we're done with it, it doesn't matter." With players and being punished heavily for unlawful activities off the field, coaches being suspended for giving HGH to players and not to mention the $100 Million fine handed down to a Formula One Racing team for gaining access to a dossier belonging to a competitor the $750k fine and loss of 1st round draft pick seem like petty punishments and will hardly act as a deterrent to keep these things from happening in the future.