NFL Rumors: Patriots May Have Another Sidelines ‘Spying’ Scandal, And Bill Belichick’s Son Is Involved
The New England Patriots could have another sideline spying scandal on their hands — and this time, it’s Bill Belichick’s son that’s involved.
Before the Patriots kicked off against the Bills on Sunday, video captured Bills head coach Sean McDermott shooting a pair of Patriots assistants away from the sidelines as the Bills were going through warmups. As the New York Post noted, one of those assistants was Brian Belichick, the son of the Patriots head coach who now serves as one of the team’s assistant coaches.
As the report noted, the Bills head coach didn’t seem pleased that the Patriots coaches were lingering around during his team’s warmups.
“McDermott appeared to be upset that the two members of the Patriots staff were lurking on the sidelines even after the New England players had exited the field following warmups,” the report noted.
The strange scene was captured on video by WROC-TV sports director Thad Brown, who noted that the play took place at the end of the Bills warmups and it appeared Belichick and the other Patriots staffers were trying to watch the Bills.
The incident comes more than a decade after the Patriots faced one of the biggest fines in NFL history for what today is known as Spygate when the Patriots were caught illegally videotaping the New York Jets defensive signals in the 2007 season-opener. The NFL took away a first-round pick and fined the team $500,000, which is the largest fine allowable by the league and the largest that a team has ever been fined in the league’s history.
The USA Today’s Touchdown Wire suggested that McDermott could turn the Patriots into the league if he believes they were outside the rules in lingering during his team’s warmups.
“Of course, the Patriots’ predilection for subterfuge is well-documented, which might explain McDermott’s reaction,” the report noted. “And one wonders if, after he ran back into the locker room if McDermott was intent on placing a call to the league office.”
It’s not clear exactly what transpired as Brian Belichick and other Patriots staffers lingered on the sidelines or if the team could face discipline. The Patriots prevailed over the Bills by a score of 16-10 in a game dominated by the defenses.
Sean McDermott was still angry at the Patriots after the game, though for a different reason. He sounded off on a hit that knocked Bills quarterback Josh Allen out of the game early in the fourth quarter.
