Patriots’ footage of Bengals’ sideline aired on TV

Footage of the Cincinnati Bengals sideline shot last week by a freelance videographer hired by the New England Patriots, which prompted an NFL investigation, was aired Sunday by Fox Sports.

In the video, which appeared to be shot by Bengals security, a member of the team’s security is heard questioning a Patriots employee as the camera shows a tight shot of the Bengals’ sideline.

The Patriots acknowledged their production crew inappropriately filmed the field and sideline during the Bengals’ Dec. 8 game against the Cleveland Browns and accepted full responsibility. The crew was credentialed by the Browns to shoot video for a Patriots web series called “Do Your Job” on an advance scout for the team, but the Patriots did not inform the Bengals nor the NFL, which they called “an unintended oversight.”

In the video that aired Sunday, the Bengals security member, while watching what was filmed, asked whether the footage was shot for a piece profiling an advance scout. When told yes, Bengals security said: “Come on, guys! I don’t see the advance scout in this footage.”

FOX SPORTS EXCLUSIVE: @JayGlazer reveals footage of Patriots filming Bengals. pic.twitter.com/C7U7mopaEm

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) December 15, 2019

The Patriots employee responded they were “trying to get some field perspective. That’s my bad.” Bengals security then pointed out the shot was of the Bengals’ sideline and “not the field,” and the Patriots employee offered to delete the footage. He said he didn’t know he wasn’t allowed to shoot the sideline and apologized.

Bengals security asked, “How did you not know” that filming the sideline was not allowed? The Patriots employee responded, “But I can delete this right here for you.” The Bengals security member then laughed and said, “The damage is done, my friend.”

The video ended with the Patriots employee again offering to delete the footage and saying that once it’s deleted, “there’s no way I can get that footage back.”

The Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Patriots suspended the producer on site for the video shoot. A source told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that the employee has not been at the Patriots’ facilities all week but would not confirm he has been suspended.

In a statement Sunday, David Mondillo, a supervising producer with Kraft Sports and Entertainment, said he and his crew obtained permission and credentials for their shoot.

“On December 8th I was doing what I have done for more than 18 years — working to produce high quality content that tells the unique, behind-the-scenes stories of people, players and the organization,” Mondillo said in the statement. “It never occurred to me that my actions and the actions of my crew would be misconstrued.”

Mondillo’s statement also detailed what he said happened in the press box.

“We went directly to the press box and set up our camera to get the footage we needed. We interviewed and shot the Patriots scout sitting in a chair watching the action and panned back and forth from him to what he was seeing on the sidelines,” the statement said. “We also took footage of the field as the intent was to show what he was looking at when he looked through his binoculars watching the game.

“At that point, I went to the restroom and when I came back, my cameraman was told to stop shooting by someone from the NFL and he was joined by two others from the Bengals organization and an additional NFL security person. We stopped shooting immediately when asked to do so and cooperated fully. We had a detailed exchange about who we were and why we were there and what they wanted us to do. I gave the Sony SXS card to NFL security and we complied with their request, packed up and went home. I had no intention to provide footage to football operations, I did not provide any footage, and I was never asked to do so.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday at the league meetings in Irving, Texas, that the NFL will not make any judgments until the completion of an investigation.

In 2007, the Patriots were fined $250,000 and lost a first-round draft pick for violating NFL rules against using video to steal the New York Jets‘ signals in a scandal dubbed “Spygate.” Head coach Bill Belichick was also fined $500,000.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

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