The NFL, at the behest of the Cincinnati Bengals, is reviewing video shot by a New England Patriots employee at the Bengals-Browns game Sunday, according to people familiar with the situation.
Bengals officials noticed the video being shot in the press box in Cleveland by a Patriots staffer and notified the league, which obtained the footage and was reviewing it, according to those people with knowledge of the developments.
The Patriots explained the situation by saying that their video crew had been credentialed by the Browns to shoot an online feature on a scout who was attending the Bengals-Browns game. The feature was part of a series of “Do Your Job” videos that also has included day-in-the-life features on members of the Patriots’ training and equipment staffs.
The Patriots contacted the Browns weeks earlier about a press credential but neglected to contact the Bengals or the NFL beforehand, according to a person familiar with the Patriots’ view of the matter, who said: “There’s nothing nefarious going on. It’s just a piece on a personnel scout.”
The Bengals face the Patriots this Sunday in Cincinnati and apparently were wary that the videographer might have been shooting the Bengals’ sideline during the loss to the Browns.
The NFL, after an investigation, punished the Patriots in 2007 in the Spygate scandal for videotaping opposing coaching signals in violation of league rules. The league fined the team and Coach Bill Belichick a total of $750,000 and stripped the Patriots of a first-round draft pick.
BEARS: The Chicago Bears played almost all of their 31-24 win Thursday over the Dallas Cowboys without injured linebacker Roquan Smith, and now they’ll have to finish the season without him.
Bears Coach Matt Nagy said Smith suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the win and will go on season-ending injured reserve.
COLTS: Kicker Adam Vinatieri will finish this season on injured reserve with an injured left knee.
The Colts announced Vinatieri, 46, will have season-ending surgery for an injury he attempted to play through all season after first experiencing soreness in the knee at training camp.
CHIEFS: Coach Andy Reid delivered good news regarding QB Patrick Mahomes’ hand injury.
“Patrick’s hand is OK,” Reid said. “It’s bruised up pretty good. But there’s no break in it.”
Asked if Mahomes will be the starter for Sunday’s home game against the Denver Broncos, Reid said, “Right now, most likely yes. Let’s see how he does the next couple of days.”
Mahomes suffered the injury to his right (throwing) hand during the first quarter of the Chiefs’ 23-16 victory at the New England Patriots Sunday. He seemed to land awkwardly on it. Mahomes had an X-ray right after the game.
PRO BOWL: Late last month, the NFL announced that Michael Vick would join Terrell Davis, Darrell Green and Bruce Smith as honorary captains during the 2020 Pro Bowl.
Animal rights activists are not happy about this, and hundreds of thousands of people are trying to get the NFL to change its mind about honoring someone who spent time in federal prison for his role in running a dogfighting ring. At least three petitions appear on Change.org that look to prevent Vick from being honored at the Pro Bowl, which airs Jan. 26 on ESPN. They had accumulated nearly 740,000 signatures as of Monday morning.
COWBOYS: The Dallas Cowboys waived struggling kicker Brett Maher and replaced him with eight-year veteran Kai Forbath.
Maher is the only kicker in NFL history with three field goals of at least 60 yards, but the Cowboys couldn’t count on him for the shorter ones that are often more critical.
Forbath kicked for New England on Dec. 1, making a 23-yarder while missing 1 of 2 extra points in the Patriots’ 28-22 loss at Houston.
SEAHAWKS: Rashaad Penny badly sprained a ligament in his left knee on the Seahawks’ opening drive, and a miserable night at the Coliseum never got much better for Seattle.
Long after their valuable running back went to the locker room, a whole bunch of Seahawks streaks ended in the Los Angeles Rams’ 28-12 victory Sunday night.
Seattle’s five-game winning streak decisively went down, as did the Seahawks’ streak of scoring an offensive touchdown in 43 straight games since their 2017 season opener. Their franchise-best six-game road winning streak to open the season also ended in emphatic fashion.
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