The New England Patriots Have Broken League Rules Once Again

Patriots coach Bill Belichick

Getty Image / Bryan Bennett


The New England Patriots have been the best franchise in the NFL for the last 25 years. Their six Super Bowls in that time are by far the most of any team in that time frame, and ties them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most all-time.

But, they’ve had some run-ins with NFL rules over the years. And, those issues have tainted the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady dynasty with the New England Patriots.

First, there was Spygate. The scandal, which broke in 2007, involved the New England Patriots allegedly videotaping the signals of opposing coaching staffs for use in future games. The scandal really kicked into overdrive when the Boston Herald reported that the team had recorded the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. Though that report was later retracted, the damage was done and many still believe the Patriots cheated in that Super Bowl. For filming coaching signals during games, the team had to surrender their first round draft pick in 2008.

And, of course, there was Deflategate. That scandal was due to football that were underinflated in the 2015 AFC Championship Game that were being used by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots won that game 45-7, so the deflated footballs on a very cold day when inflated objects naturally lose air pressure was definitely the difference. People lost their minds over something that would have been laughed out of a courtroom, but Roger Goodell still suspended Tom Brady four games. Brady appealed, and Roger Goodell, the man who suspended him, oversaw the appeal. Seems fair. Anyway, moving on.

Now, the New England Patriots have broken league rules once again, and are being forced to give up two of their offseason training activity (OTA) days.

The cause of the violation is unknown. Teams losing OTA’s is not that rare, as the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears have all lost some in the last two years.