'New England Patriots staff stole playbooks and Roger Goodell helped cover it up'

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An explosive new expose claims the New England Patriots illegally obtained information from more teams than reported during Spygate
The team reportedly not only taped other teams and their defensive signals, but also had employees steal playbooks from locker rooms
The team was initially fined $250,000 and Bill Belichick $500,000 by the league and Roger Goodell after taping a New York Jets game in 2007
Goodell then ordered all the teams tapes and documents destroyed without thoroughly investigating the claims
'Goodell didn’t want anybody to know that his gold franchise had won Super Bowls by cheating. If that gets out, that hurts your business,' said a senior executive
The Patriots denied claims they taped other teams or stole playbooks after ESPN released their report on Tuesday

By Chris Spargo For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:34 EST, 8 September 2015 | Updated: 18:18 EST, 8 September 2015

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Roger Goodell reportedly helped the New England Patriots cover up Spygate.

According to an explosive new expose, the NFL commissioner ordered tapes destroyed and documents shredded without a thorough investigation after discovering Bill Belichick had been gathering information he had illegally obtained from other teams.

At the time the scandal broke in 2007, it was reported by the NFL the team had just a few tapes that featured the defensive signals of their opponents and Belichick was fined $500,000, the team $250,000 and they lost their first round pick in the 2008 draft.

ESPN is revisiting the scandal in the wake of the recent Deflategate ruling, and suggesting that Goodell's decision to come down so hard against the Patriots earlier this year may have something to do with the lengths he went to in order to protect them, the integrity of the league and his own reputation when they were caught filming the defensive signals of the New York Jets during a 2007 game.

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Caught: A new expose claims the New England Patriots illegally obtained information from more teams than reported during Spygate (NFL commissione Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft in February)

Bad news: The team reportedly not only taped other teams and their defensive signals, but also had employees steal playbooks from locker rooms (Coach Bill Belichick at the NFL Scouting Combine in February)

Punishment: The team was initially fined $250,000 and Bill Belichick $500,000 by the league and Roger Goodell after taping a New York Jets game in 2007 (Goodell and Tom Brady at an event in 2013)

'Goodell didn’t want anybody to know that his gold franchise had won Super Bowls by cheating. If that gets out, that hurts your business,' said a senior executive whose team played the Patriots - and lost - in a Super Bowl.

It was former Jets coach Eric Mangini who tipped off league officials that a Patriots staffer was filming them during their game, something that was not allowed according to NFL rules.

Belichick would frequently tape other teams according to at least one former Patriots employee, and Mangini himself was familiar with the coach having worked with him when he was with the Cleveland Browns.

He had told the team to not tape the game, but they did not listen.

'He’s pissing in my face,' Mangini reportedly said of Belichick to a friend.

This is when the team was fined and Goodell ordered their tapes and notes displayed with out conducting a thorough investigation according to multiple people who were interviewed for the article.

Belichick claimed at the time he was unaware it was illegal to tape the signals of an opposing team during the game.

It was not just the taping of other teams to learn their signals either, with former Patriots staffers claiming at times a 'low-level Patriots employee would sneak into the visiting locker room and steal the play sheet, listing the first 20 or so scripted calls for the opposing team's offense.'

This practice was reportedly used so much by the Patriots that other teams would leave out fake playbooks and sheets.

The information would then go to Ernie Adams, a close friend of Belichick who was employed by the team as director of football research.

Making moves: Goodell then ordered all the teams tapes and documents destroyed without thoroughly investigating the claims following Spygate (Goodell and Kraft embrace in August of 2006)

Allegation: 'Goodell didn’t want anybody to know that his gold franchise had won Super Bowls by cheating. If that gets out, that hurts your business,' said a senior executive (Brady and Goodell hig in February)

Buds: Kraft (above with Goodell and Bob Iger of Disney in July) reportedly helped Goodell land his job as commissioner of the league

The St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles - who lost to the Patriots in the 2002, 2003 and 2005 Super Bowls respectively - all have individuals who were with the teams at the time of those games and point out plays that happened which they believe offers concrete proof the the team was cheating and knew their strategy.

'Our players came in after that first half and said it was like [the Patriots] were in our huddle,' said a Panthers source.

'Do I have any tape to prove they cheated? No. But I'm convinced they did it.'

The Rams meanwhile has long maintained that Patriots staffers taped them during their walkthrough the day before the 2002 Super Bowl, which New England won in a massive upset after a last second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

Defensive coaches from the Pittsburgh Steelers also questioned the team after they were defeated by the Patriots in the 2005 AFC game with a last minute touchdown pass from Brady to Deion Branch.

'They knew the signals, so they knew when it went in what the coverage was and how to attack it,' said a former Steelers coach.

'I've had a couple of guys on my teams from New England, and they've told me those things.'

As for why Goodell might let the Patriots off so easy, some point out that beyond maintaining the league's integrity and that of the Patriots dynasty, there is also the close relationship between him and the team's owner Robert Kraft.

Kraft helped to make Goodell the league's commissioner back in 2006 according to sources, and is also a member of the three-person committee who determines his annual salary and bonuses.

'It felt like this enormous break was given to the Patriots,' said a former league executive.

Friends forever: Kraft is also a member of the three-person committee who determines Goodell's annual salary and bonuses (above in November 2014)

Mastermind: Ernie Adams, the Patriots director of football research and close confidant of Belichick would reportedly receive the stolen information (Adams in November)

The Patriots meanwhile responded to the expose by ESPN by releasing a statement that said; 'The New England Patriots have never filmed or recorded another team’s practice or walkthrough.

'The first time we ever heard of such an accusation came in 2008, the day before Super Bowl XLII, when the Boston Herald reported an allegation from a disgruntled former employee.

'That report created a media firestorm that extended globally and was discussed incessantly for months. It took four months before that newspaper retracted its story and offered the team a front and back page apology for the damage done.

'Clearly, the damage has been irreparable.

'As recently as last month, over seven years after the retraction and apology was issued, ESPN issued the following apology to the Patriots for continuing to perpetuate the myth: "On two occasions in recent weeks, SportsCenter incorrectly cited a 2002 report regarding the New England Patriots and Super Bowl XXXVI. That story was found to be false, and should not have been part of our reporting. We apologize to the Patriots organization."

'This type of reporting over the past seven years has led to additional unfounded, unwarranted and, quite frankly, unbelievable allegations by former players, coaches and executives. None of which have ever been substantiated, but many of which continue to be propagated.

'The New England Patriots are led by an owner whose well-documented efforts on league wide initiatives - from TV contracts to preventing a work stoppage - have earned him the reputation as one of the best in the NFL.

'For the past 16 years, the Patriots have been led by one of the league’s all-time greatest coaches and one of its all-time greatest quarterbacks.

'It is disappointing that some choose to believe in myths, conjecture and rumors rather than giving credit for the team’s successes to Coach Belichick, his staff and the players for their hard work, attention to detail, methodical weekly preparation, diligence and overall performance.'

Goodell was also asked to comment on the report while appearing on ESPN’s Mike & Mike Tuesday morning, and said; 'I’m not aware of any connection between the spygate procedures and the procedures we went through here.

'We obviously learn from anytime we go through any kind of a process—try to improve it—get better at it. But there’s no connection in my mind to the two incidents.'