And the bad press keeps on flowing.
The Denver Broncos and Josh McDaniels have each been fined $50,000 for taping the 49ers' pre-game walk through before the game at Wembley Stadium earlier in November, per Jason La Canfora of NFL Network.
La Canfora also reports that Steve Scarnecchia, who was on a leave of absence, was fired from the team, and will be under further investigation from the NFL and a ban from the league is not out of the question.
Scarnecchia was the man behind the camera for Spygate I, making him a repeat offender to the league. The league also indicated that if any more evidence comes to light, there will be further discipline from Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Here is the statement released by owner Pat Bowlen and the Broncos organization:Denver Broncos President and Chief Executive Officer Pat Bowlen released the following statement on Saturday:
"I received notice today that the National Football League has completed its investigation of an incident involving our club’s violation of the League’s Integrity of the Game Policy, specifically a videotaping of a portion of the San Francisco 49ers’ "walkthrough" practice on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, at Wembley Stadium in London.
"Upon learning of this incident, the Denver Broncos promptly began an investigation into this matter and reported this violation to the League office, which then started its investigation.
"The Denver Broncos fully cooperated with every aspect of the League investigation.
Upon completion, the investigation revealed the following facts:
· The person who videotaped a portion of the "walkthrough" practice did so on his own and was not directed to do so by anyone within the organization, including Head Coach Josh McDaniels.
· Upon learning that the "walkthrough" had been videotaped, the Head Coach informed the person who did the taping that this was not acceptable, that this is not how the Denver Broncos organization conducts business and that he would not view the videotape.
· The videotape was subsequently deleted from the computer where it resided by the employee who performed the taping. No one from the organization viewed the videotape prior to Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
· The videotaping of this "walkthrough" practice was a one-time occurrence, erroneously performed by one employee who used extremely poor judgment.
· Head Coach Josh McDaniels was right to inform the employee that he had no interest in viewing the tape and that it was not how he or the Denver Broncos conducts business. However, under League Policy he is obligated to promptly notify the League of this matter and his failure to do so has resulted in discipline imposed by the Commissioner.
"The Denver Broncos and I, as the Owner, believe in the integrity of the National Football League and fair competition and do not, in any way, condone this type of behavior. The fact that an employee of the Denver Broncos would take such action is personally disappointing to me. I apologize to all affected by this incident. This employee is no longer with the organization.
"This incident cuts into the trust and respect our fans, our ticket holders, our community and our fellow competitors have for our organization. That is why the Denver Broncos, upon learning of this violation, immediately investigated this matter and reported the incident to the League.
"The Denver Broncos and I accept the discipline imposed by the NFL. We will take all steps to ensure that an incident like this never occurs again. We will always strive to uphold the integrity of our organization and the National Football League."
Head coach Josh McDaniels will have a brief press conference at 12:45 MST, so stay tuned for more.
I firmly believe this is an indictment on the judgment of Josh McDaniels, who has done nothing but bring negative attention to this organization since March of 2009. I have supported McDaniels through thick and thin, and whether or not you believe he didn't watch the film is your opinion.
We have no reason not to believe him if he says he didn't watch it, as the Broncos lost the game anyway.
However, Troy Smith had not started a game since his days with the Ravens, and the Broncos likely knew little to nothing about him because he had no film. It's unlikely (again, in my opinion) that Scarnecchia was alone in the decision to film the walk through, but that's just conspiracy.
The only thing we have to stand on is what McDaniels has said, which is that he didn't watch it.
By the way, there's a game tomorrow.
Go Broncos!....