NFL Could Have 1st Mess of the Season on their Hands

No, arrests have not been made. Apparently, the Patriots are cheaters. A New England Patriots employee had a video camera and tape confiscated from the sidelines of this Sunday's past game in the Meadowlands. (source) Even watching the game, the announcers pointed out several times where the Patriots had it 'played perfectly'.

Now I have no idea of what was recorded and if the Magnificent Mangini was being spied upon, but the fact that there was recording equipment on New England's sidelines is just ridiculous. Is there a good reason to have such equipment? Are the Patriots making home movies about their Summer coming to an end with a trip to the Meadowlands? Recording of the oppositions' signals is illegal, but shouldn't the mere fact that the camera was there to begin with be the problem?

What's worse, is how the league will handle this incident if it proves there was some rif-raf going on. Has anything happened like this in the past and what is the best way to prevent it from happening in the future?

Do you suspend the coach? Perhaps, but then how do we know whether or not the head coach is actually the one responsible? And does the NFL have an obligation to get to the root cause of the matter, or just to merely find out whether or not the camera was there for the purpose of cheating?

Do you schedule an "if-necessary" rematch and force the teams to play a whopping total of 17 games? (Still less than a 5th of what NBA and NHL teams have to deal with). Or do you disqualify the Patriots from the week 1 match up, giving the Jets the victory by a forced-forfeit. Just imagine the chaos this would cause in the gambling world, legal or not. And you know the NFL has this aspect considered so you can probably scratch any rematches or disqualifications from the list of possibilities.

The NFL has to be hoping the issue will prove to be meaningless.
Some sources say that possible future draft pick(s) may be taken away from Patriots. This may seem fair and reasonable, but this was a game that occurred during the 2007-08 season. Why should some bad decisions made by the 2007-08 Patriots personnel affect the 2008-09 or 2009-10 Patriots, who may be a totally different team by then. There's a good chance whoever turns out to be responsible may be fired by the organization by then. So they would be punished for hiring someone that wasn't trustworthy in the first place.

And how would the Jets be compensated for being cheated against? Being they are division rivals, the lost draft picks may help the Jets out directly. But what if the 2008-2010 Patriots are not the team to beat in the AFC east? (Hard to imagine, but it's possible) The Bills and Dolphins would benefit just as much as the Jets, unless of course, the revoked draft choices were awarded to the Jets.

I really don't have a solid answer on what should be done if these tapes prove wrongdoing by the Patriots. But what the NFL really needs to do is keep better track of who and what is on the field at all times. Football is a unique sport by the fact that the sidelines are littered with tons of reporters, TV crew, players, coaches, etc... Each team basically has their own travelling circus with them on their side of the field while the NBA, NFL and MLB pretty much have a relatively small, well-defined area. Interpreters aren't even allowed in baseball dugouts. I'm sure there are plenty of security measures in place by the NFL as to whom is allowed on each team's sidelines, but they probably should be doing a better job regarding what is allowed on each team's sidelines.