According to the Washington Post, Bill Belichick and his staff are expected to be cleared of all wrongdoing in the Bengals filming incident. The NFL's investigation has found no evidence linking Bill Belichick or other members of the New England coaching staff to what is being called Spygate 2. Although the investigation clears Belichick and his staff, they may still face punishment. The investigation is expected to be completed as soon as this week, according to sources close to the situation. Unless something changes in the last-minute and more damaging evidence is uncovered, the NFL will most likely impose penalties consistent with other cases of game-day infractions. That may include a fine in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and possibly the loss or reduction in the value of a draft pick.
It is unclear when NFL will announce a decision on the case. Once NFL security officials finish their investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league leaders must review the findings and decide whether to conduct additional investigations. The Patriots were fined a total of $750,000 by the NFL and the team lost their first-round draft selection in 2007 in the first Spygate case when they were found to be taping opponents’ coach signals. For this recent case, the Patriots admitted violating NFL video policy during the Bengals-Browns game on December 8 in Cleveland.