NEW YORK (AP) -The NFL is continuing to monitor spying devices following the penalties levied by commissioner Roger Goodell this week against the New England Patriots.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday that new memos on both videotaping and electronic surveillance of signals have gone out to all 32 teams reminding them of bans on the various types of surveillance.
“It’s nothing new,” Aiello said. “We just want to remind people how the rules work.”
In his first televised interview about the incident, Goodell said before Sunday night’s Chargers-Patriots game on NBC that he reserved the right to expand the punishment if he were to learn additional or different information. He said he believed New England owner Robert Kraft, who said he was not aware of the spying.
Goodell said he trusted that the Patriots would turn over all the information to the league that was requested.
“I’m very confident the Patriots are going to abide by the rules,” he said. “They understand that the consequences could increase.”
Last Thursday, Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and fined the team $250,000 following the confiscation of a video camera from a Patriots representative on the field during the season opener at the Jets. Videotaping on the field is forbidden during games.
New England also will forfeit its first-round draft choice if it makes the playoffs this season, or its second- and third-round choices if it doesn’t.
Earlier this month, Goodell suspended Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson for five games and fined him $100,000 – a much higher percentage of his salary – for buying and using performance-enhancing substances. Wilson said he took the drugs to try to “improve the quality of my life” after living with diabetes for more than 20 years.
Goodell said Wilson’s punishment was fair because he was “involved in criminal activity” and the consequences of the NFL’s drug policy are clear.
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