The 2007 season largely was a breeze for the New England Patriots, but the campaign wasn’t bereft of obstacles.
The infamous “Spygate” scandal went down that year. The Patriots illegally videotaped defensive signals from New York Jets coaches during an early-season game and ultimately received a hefty punishment. Bill Belichick received a record-breaking fine, the Patriots organization was fined and the team lost its 2008 first-round draft pick.
When the first rumblings of “Spygate” rolled in, Belichick gave his players very clear instructions on how to handle the matter.
“When it came out, Belichick called us in the next day and he said, ‘Look, none of you players had anything to do with it,'” Brady said on Episode 4 of ESPN+’s “Man in the Arena,” as transcribed by The Boston Globe. “‘Just shut your mouth, focus on what your job is. None of you guys know anything about it. None of you guys have any information about it. I’ll deal with it how I need to deal with it, and you guys focus on your job.'”
“Spygate” proved to be not even the slightest of distractions for the ’07 Patriots, who went undefeated in the regular season and fell one victory short of perfection.
