💸 Bill Belichick's Spygate fine: $500K and a first-round pick

Goodell fined him the NFL maximum in 2007 and he apologized. Hudson's new suit targets Airbnb hosts, not Belichick. 🗣️

By , sports desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 4 min read

New England PatriotsFINEDPhoto: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Desaturated and cropped by MrScandal.

What we know

  • NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Bill Belichick $500,000, the league maximum, and the Patriots $250,000 in September 2007 for filming the Jets' signals, ESPN reported.
  • The Patriots were ordered to give up their 2008 first-round pick if they made the playoffs, or their second- and third-round picks if they missed them, the Boston Globe reported.
  • Belichick said in a team statement that he accepted full responsibility, and Goodell ruled the filming had no impact on the game's outcome.
  • The NFL fined Belichick $50,000 in September 2012 for grabbing an official's arm after a game in Baltimore, the AP reported.
  • Jordon Hudson sued Airbnb hosts Elise McDevitt and Craig Nolan in Massachusetts on Nov. 6 over a leaked video; McDevitt told the California Post she has "no comment."

Jordon Hudson filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts on Friday, Nov. 6, against Elise McDevitt and Craig Nolan, the couple who rented her and Bill Belichick a Winthrop Airbnb in June 2023, according to court documents obtained by the California Post and reported by Page Six. The suit is over a Ring camera clip of a shirtless Belichick. She claims invasion of privacy and breach of contract. McDevitt told the California Post she has "no comment." The reports describe no claim against Belichick, and none quote him on the suit.

That case is about a doorbell camera. Belichick's other paper trail is about a sideline camera, and it carries a commissioner's signature. Different decade, same lens problem. Here is the penalty record, in order.

The penalty scoreboard

DateWhat was ruled onPenaltySource
Sept. 13, 2007Sideline videotaping of Jets signalsBelichick fined $500,000 (NFL maximum)ESPN
Sept. 13, 2007Same ruling, club penaltyPatriots fined $250,000ESPN
Sept. 13, 2007Same ruling, draft picks2008 first-round pick if playoffs; second and third if notBoston Globe
Sept. 26, 2012Grabbing an official's armBelichick fined $50,000AP via Yahoo Sports

How the record got written

01

September 2007: the maximum fine

Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals, ESPN reported. The camera was taken from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the Jets' sideline during New England's 38-14 win. ESPN reported the fine was the biggest ever on a coach and equal to 12 percent of Belichick's scheduled 2007 salary, which it said was believed to be $4.2 million.

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)

By the numbers

  • 19y 2mfrom first to latest entry on recordSep 2007 to Nov 2026, 5 dated entries in the file
  • 13receipts behind this story10 news reports, 3 statements, 2007 to 2026

Counted by MrScandal from the receipts, the Files and our rankings.

02

The draft picks

The Patriots had to give up their first-round pick in the 2008 draft if they made the playoffs, or their second- and third-round picks if they did not, the Boston Globe reported. ESPN reported it was the first time the NFL had taken a first-round pick as a penalty. Goodell said he considered a suspension but judged the fine and pick loss "more significant and long-lasting." He also ruled that Robert Kraft and Patriots ownership were unaware of the filming.

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)

"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field,"

Roger Goodell, in a letter to the Patriots, as reported by ESPN
03

The apology and the other side

Belichick issued a one-paragraph statement before the ruling, saying he wanted to apologize to everyone affected, USA Today reported. After the ruling he said in a team statement, "My interpretation of a rule in the constitution and bylaws was incorrect," and that sideline video had never been used to gain a competitive advantage while a game was in progress. Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio told USA Today that studying the opposing sideline is commonplace: "I think all teams do that."

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)
04

September 2012: $50,000 for touching a referee

The NFL fined Belichick $50,000 for conduct toward replacement officials, the AP reported. He grabbed an official's arm at the end of a Sunday night game in Baltimore after the Ravens kicked the winning field goal. Belichick said in a team statement, "It was inappropriate for me to contact the official. I take responsibility for what happened."

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)
05

January 2024: the Patriots part ways

The Patriots announced that they and Belichick had mutually agreed to part ways after 24 seasons. ESPN reported that he was serving the final year of a two-year contract reported to be worth $25 million a year. Both Kraft and Belichick declined to comment for that ESPN story.

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)
06

December 2024: the North Carolina term sheet

North Carolina's published term sheet covers five years at $10 million per year, with the first three years guaranteed, NBC Sports reported. It adds up to $3.5 million in annual incentives. The buyout is $10 million before June 1, 2025 and $1 million after. Sportico's reading of the contract is that a firing without cause before Dec. 31, 2027 would leave him owed about $26.7 million.

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)
07

January 2026: the file resurfaces in Canton

ESPN reported, citing four sources, that Belichick fell short of the 40 of 50 votes needed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Multiple sources told ESPN that Spygate and Deflategate came up in voters' deliberations. Voter Bill Polian denied telling colleagues Belichick should wait a year, and said he voted for him. The Hall does not comment on voting.

See the receipt (opens in a new tab)

Hudson's suit asks for damages according to proof at trial, attorneys' fees and a court order barring the defendants from sharing private information about her. Those are allegations. The 2007 ruling is a different kind of document: a league decision Belichick accepted in his own statement. MrMuscles will take the scoreboard over the gossip every time.

Quick quiz · 3 questions

  1. On the record or still rumour?The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 in September 2007, and set a draft-pick forfeiture; Belichick fined $50,000 in 2012.
  2. On the record or still rumour?Hudson's claims against McDevitt and Nolan are allegations and no court has ruled on them.
  3. Which year?Belichick apologized in a statement after the NFL seized a Patriots video camera, USA Today reported

More games on the record: Price Tag · Timeline

Earlier on file: Jordon Hudson sues Airbnb hosts over Belichick video leak

The Bill Belichick file

Last entry Nov 6, 2026
  1. Filed

    Jordon Hudson sued Elise McDevitt and Craig Nolan in Massachusetts over a leaked Ring video of him, per the Daily Mail. Jordon Hudson sues Airbnb hosts over Belichick video leak

  2. Reported

    North Carolina announced Belichick as head football coach on a five-year deal. This story

  3. Ruled

    NFL fined Belichick $50,000 for grabbing an official's arm after a game in Baltimore, the AP reported. This story

  4. Ruled

    NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 over videotaping of Jets signals, ESPN reported. This story

  5. Admitted

    Belichick apologized in a statement after the NFL seized a Patriots video camera, USA Today reported. This story

On file: The Bill Belichick file · The New England Patriots file

The Ledger

On the record

  • The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 in September 2007, and set a draft-pick forfeiture; Belichick fined $50,000 in 2012.

Still rumour

  • Belichick has not commented publicly on Hudson's suit in the reports read, and Nolan's response is not reported.
  • Hudson's claims against McDevitt and Nolan are allegations and no court has ruled on them.

That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrMuscles

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