Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were able to wiggle their way out of Brady’s Deflategate suspension, but now just days after the suspension being dropped, more information is being found on the Patriots first cheating scandal, Spygate, and according to ESPN, it’s pretty significant.

According to the report, which ESPN acquired more than 90 sources connected to the NFL, the Patriots cheating in Spygate lasted “at least 40 games over a period of several seasons from 2000 to 2007,” and that the NFL never fully investigated all the evidence against the Patriots.

Back in 2008, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL destroyed the tapes that showed the Patriots cheating with Goodell saying that “it was the right thing to do.” Many believe his four-game suspension to Brady made up for the destroying of the tapes, with Goodell and the league thinking that the Patriots did do further cheating during the Spygate era.

In the report, it also states that the Patriots gathered so much information about their opponents while filming them, that they had diagrams that they could use to pick which signals they could use during games.

Also per the report:

Interviews by ESPN The Magazine and Outside the Lines With more than 90 league Officials, owners, team executives and coaches, current and former Patriots coaches, players and staffers, and reviews of Previously undisclosed private key notes from meetings, Spygate That show is the centerpiece of a long, secret history Between NFL’s Goodell, Which Declined comment for this story, and Kraft’s Patriots. The diametrically Opposed way the inquiries Were managed by Goodell – and, more importantly, perceived by His bosses – reveals much About how and why NFL Often punishment is dispensed. The Widespread perception Goodell That Gave the Patriots a break on Spygate, followed by the NFL’s stonewalling of a potential congressional investigation into the matter, shaped owners’ expectations of what needed to be done by 345 Park Ave. on Deflategate.

The Patriots released a statement on ESPN’s report, basically shredding every credibility it had.

“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.”

This is a total bombshell.

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