NFL Confirms Patriots' Video Board Tactic Was Legal Despite Competitive Advantage

From Spygate to Deflategate, the NFL caught the New England Patriots red-handed in their schemes during the Bill Belichick era, attempting to circumvent league rules and gain a competitive advantage. The team is back under the microscope this week for another newly uncovered ploy, but this one will not rise to the level of a scandal like the previous two. As crafty as the Patriots' now-viral use of the Gillette Stadium video boards on opposing field goal attempts might have been, the NFL said it is completely legal.

Former NFL strategy and analytics coach Ryan Paganetti discovered that for over a decade—generally during the latter half of Belichick's tenure—the Patriots displayed a reversed, live view of the field on their video board during opponents' special teams snaps. From a kicker's perspective, a second set of uprights appeared on the video board behind the actual goalpost, creating a mirror image of the field.

This disorienting view directly in kickers' lines of sight occurred only when opponents attempted their field goals. In the games where Paganetti noted such use of the video board, none of the Patriots' 52 field goal attempts came in front of that mirrored camera angle.

It was highly effective. New England logged the lowest away-team field goal percentage (76.6%) in the NFL during Belichick's tenure, according to Paganetti. What's more, the margin between the Patriots' conversion rate and opponents' conversion rate was the widest of any team.

While the tactic contributed to a clear special teams advantage in Patriots home games, nothing nefarious was at play. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to the Boston Globe that the video board usage was and remains legal.

According to the Boston Globe, the NFL's stated policy on video during kicks is as follows:

"All video and ribbon boards must show either a static image (e.g., no flashing images, blinking effects, moving text/images, etc.) or an All-22 view (e.g., high sideline, high end zone, etc.) during field goal attempts and extra-point attempts. Any flashing, moving, or blinking text/images displayed on video boards or ribbon boards during field goal attempts and extra points are considered a violation of this policy. The prohibition will begin when the kicking team reaches the line of scrimmage and continues through the signal by the Game Officials following the kick."

Teams often display a static team logo, a sponsored message or other non-distracting image on their video boards during field goal and PAT attempts, especially when the home side is the one doing the kicking. Others turn off the screen entirely. In some cases, there are no video boards directly behind the goalposts in the first place.

Now that the NFL has effectively signed off on the Patriots' past use of live All-22 footage, and because it contributed to such a wide disparity in kick success, perhaps it could make a resurgence. The NFL is a copycat league, after all.