The New England Patriots say the footage they took of the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline last week was not intended to be used for anything other than a documentary series, and a member of the production crew that captured it has confirmed that.
David Mondillo, whose official title is supervising producer for Kraft Sports and Entertainment, released a statement on Sunday evening that attempted to explain what happened in the press box at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland last week. He said the footage in question, which aired on FOX Sports Sunday morning, was the “final element” of a feature on a team scout. Mondillo said it was intended to “show the audience what (the scout’s) responsibilities are on game day” and that no member of the football operations asked his crew to capture the footage.
Here is a statement from David Mondillo, the producer from Kraft Sports Entertainment who has since been suspended:
"I had no intention to provide footage to football operations, I did not provide any footage, and I was never asked to do so." pic.twitter.com/aLtxlQ06c2
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 15, 2019
Mondillo said the specific footage that infuriated the Bengals was supposed to show what the Patriots scout would have been looking at through his binoculars from the press box.
Obviously, there are going to be plenty of people who think Mondillo and the rest of the Patriots’ video crew already had their excuse lined up in case they got caught. However, all indications are that the footage was being taken right in plain sight of everyone in the press box. It’s hard to believe Bill Belichick would be ignorant enough to think the Patriots could get away with that given their history, and the coach is reportedly furious over the incident.
Mondillo has been suspended by the Patriots as they await potential disciplinary action from the NFL. Numerous reports have said the punishment could be fairly significant.
