Due to a complaint initiated by the Jets, the NFL swept the Jets' locker room for bugs Sunday and interrogated three Patriots employees during the second quarter of the game, which resulted in a 30-23 victory for the Pats at Gillette Stadium, according to a source.
No wrongdoing was found, but the level of interrogation used was unprecedented, the source said.
In the second quarter, an NFL employee identified himself to three Patriots employees, two full-time and one part time, and "interrogated" them, according to the source. The NFL employee said the reason for the questioning stemmed from a complaint filed by the Jets, who demanded to know whether the radio frequencies and stadium operations were performed up to an appropriate standard.
The NFL employee took photographs of each Patriots employee and their identification badges, demanded to check their cell phones and also checked their radios to ensure they were operating through the proper channels. The NFL employee also said they already swept the visiting locker room for bugs.
After the questioning, which lasted about 15 minutes, the NFL employee continued to hover over the three Patriots employees until the third quarter, when a stadium operations manager told the NFL employee to route all further inquiries through Patriots and Gillette Stadium management.
By the end of the game, the NFL informed the Patriots that everything was done appropriately and according to league protocol and the Patriots had done nothing wrong. The Patriots were reaffirmed of this again Monday.
The source said this type of interview from an NFL employee had never before happened in their years of employment at Gillette Stadium.
The NFL, when informed by the Herald that the source said a Jets complaint prompted the interrogation, declined to comment.
The NFL, in response to a report that the Jets asked the league to sweep their locker room, issued a statement Friday saying, "No such request was made by the Jets."
League spokesman Brian McCarthy, responding to a report of a sweep of the Jets locker room Friday, said on Twitter, “We have for years conducted regular & random checks.” McCarthy would not discuss details about specific games.
The Patriots and Jets meet again in Week 16 at MetLife Stadium
