Patriots’ scandal history: Deflategate to Jabrill Peppers’ arrest

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If you ask any American football fan outside of the six states in the far northeast of the country, the New England Patriots are the embodiment of scandal in the NFL.

That was especially true in the years of the Patriots dynasty from 2001-2019 – when the team won 17 division titles, nine AFC titles, and six Super Bowls.

Despite their success, the team often ran afoul of other teams, the league and – occasionally – the law itself. 

The recent arrest of Jabrill Peppers this past Saturday is just another example of that – with the team captain and strong safety charged with multiple counts after an altercation with his girlfriend.

Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at some of the scandals that the Patriots have been a part of since 2000.

The recent arrest of Jabrill Peppers is yet another scandal for the New England Patriots

 

Jabrill Peppers

At around 4:00am on the morning of October 5, 2024, Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was celebrating his 29th birthday in the Boston suburb of Braintree on the South Shore.

According to police records obtained by DailyMail.com, the safety allegedly got violent with his on-off girlfriend after she received a phone call during sex that he ‘didn’t like’.

Peppers is then alleged to have demanded that she leave his apartment before he pushed her head against the wall with his hands around her neck – all while both of them were still naked.

According to court documents, the Patriots team captain was then alleged to have pushed her down a set of stairs before tossing her handbag and cell phone down shortly after.

Authorities noted scratches on the woman’s kneecaps and that her forehead area was red when they arrived at the scene.

Peppers pled not guilty during his arraignment at Quincy District Court on Monday morning – where he was ordered to stay away from the victim.

Both Peppers and the alleged victim have given different accounts of the events of that evening.

While Peppers didn’t speak while leaving court, his attorney told reporters: ‘He’s not going to comment now, but what I said in the court room, I’ll repeat. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story and I expect my client to be fully exonerated.’

When asked whether it was video evidence, he added: ‘Yes, and other evidence as well.’

Peppers was arrested and charged with assault, strangulation, and drug possession

Peppers was arrested and charged with assault, strangulation, and drug possession

Peppers denies his girlfriends account and says he has evidence to prove his innocence

Peppers denies his girlfriends account and says he has evidence to prove his innocence

 

Kayshon Boutte

Back in January 2024, Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested after Louisiana state police say he created an online betting account under a false name and placed thousands of illegal bets as a college student.

That includes 17 on college football games – with six of those games involving LSU. He also bet on himself in one game.

These bets violated state law against wagers being placed by a ‘prohibited player’.

But prosecutors decided to not pursue a trial after Boutte put himself into a gambling awareness mitigation program.

Authorities say that Boutte did not bet against himself or his team and that his actions did not cause financial losses for other people. 

Kayshon Boutte did not face charges stemming from his betting habit from his college days

Kayshon Boutte did not face charges stemming from his betting habit from his college days

 

Aaron Hernandez

Arguably the most infamous Patriots player of all time, tight end Aaron Hernandez was a star in New England until his personal actions brought it all to a screeching end.

Hernandez was a star out of the University of Florida – where he won the 2008 National Championship – and was picked by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Alongside Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez formed one of the most dominant tight end duos in the history of the league – leading New England to Super Bowl XLVI.

But in the 2013 offseason, Hernandez was arrested and charged with the murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd – leading to his immediate release from the Patriots. 

In the midst of his trial for Lloyd’s murder, Hernandez was also indicted for a double homicide in 2012 of Daniel de Abreu and Safrio Furtado.

While he was acquitted in 2017 of the double homicide, Hernandez was found guilty of Lloyd’s murder in 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

Days after the acquittal of the double-homicide, Hernandez was found dead in his cell. His death was ruled a suicide. 

Hernandez’s brain was released to researchers at Boston University – which found that he was suffering from stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). 

Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is arguably the most infamous player to play for the team

Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is arguably the most infamous player to play for the team

Hernandez was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison

Hernandez was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison

 

Deflategate

Ask a Patriots fan and they’ll tell you that Deflategate may have been overblown and a witch hunt. Other fans of the NFL will just say it’s yet another example of the Patriots using unfair advantages.

The scandal centers around the alleged deliberate deflation of footballs used in the Patriots dominant victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship game.

After an interception by the Colts, the team notified NFL Gameday Operations that there might be an issue with the inflation level of the Patriots’ footballs. 

Officials inspecting the Patriots’ footballs found that 11 of the 12 balls were two pounds-per-square-inch (PSI) below the minimum amount. Other reports said that only one ball was two PSI.

This matter was corrected – with the balls re-inflated at halftime to correct levels – and the Patriots went on to score 28 unanswered points in the second half to win 45-7.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick denied any wrongdoing both before and after a league investigation found that it was only ‘more probable than not’ that the team had intentionally deflated the balls. 

The Patriots win in the AFC Championship game in 2014 came with controversy as the team was accused of intentionally deflating footballs in a still hotly-debated scandal

The Patriots win in the AFC Championship game in 2014 came with controversy as the team was accused of intentionally deflating footballs in a still hotly-debated scandal

Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after an appeal

Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after an appeal

Nevertheless, Brady was suspended for four games, the Patriots were fined $1million and forfeited two draft picks (including a first-rounder in 2016).

Brady appealed the suspension, which was vacated by a US District Court. An appeal of that decision was then overturned again by a US Court of Appeals – which forced Brady to serve the suspension in the first four games of the 2016 season.

Brady and the Patriots eventually got the last laugh – going 3-1 without their starting quarterback and eventually ran all the way to Super Bowl LI. 

There, they completed the greatest single-game comeback in NFL history after being down as much as 25 points to win a fifth Super Bowl title. 

Even years after the scandal reached a conclusion, debate about whether or not the Patriots intentionally deflated footballs rages on. 

The Patriots got the last laugh - going 3-1 without Brady and winning Super Bowl LI that year

The Patriots got the last laugh – going 3-1 without Brady and winning Super Bowl LI that year

 

‘Spygate’

Before Deflategate, there was another ‘-gate’ that the Patriots were at the center of.

Back in 2007, the Patriots were accused by the New York Jets of videotaping their defensive signals from an on-field location which violated NFL rules.

The issue was not the taping of signals itself, but the fact that it was done in a place that wasn’t allowed. 

Belichick apologized for the actions of his staff, saying that his interpretation of the rule differed from what was written. 

Belichick believed that if footage collected wasn’t used during the game, that the action of collecting said video was legal. He was also adamant that he never used video to gain an advantage while a game was underway, something commissioner Roger Goodell agreed with.

The Patriots were heavily punished for their actions – with Belichick being fined $500,000, the largest fine imposed on a coach in NFL history. The team was separately fined $250k and had its first-round draft pick in 2008 stripped away.

In the aftermath of that complaint from the Jets, an independent investigation by Congress was called for by Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter – but no investigation came about.

Additionally, further accusations of other times that the Patriots filmed in illegal areas – including in the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI – came about but no further punishments were levied.

The Patriots were accused of videotaping other team's defensive signals in an illegal area of the field during the 2007 season

The Patriots were accused of videotaping other team’s defensive signals in an illegal area of the field during the 2007 season

Belichick said that he had a different interpretation of the rules and was fined $500,000

Belichick said that he had a different interpretation of the rules and was fined $500,000

 

Tuck Rule Game

The genesis of the Patriots scandals (at least in the 2000’s) came with an incident that wasn’t even in their control.

In the fourth quarter of the 2001 AFC Divisional playoff game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was sacked by Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson and lost the ball in the process – which was initially ruled as a fumble.

When the officials reviewed the play, they determined that despite Brady appearing to stop his passing motion and ‘tucking’ the ball back into his body, it was an incomplete pass and not a fumble under since-changed NFL rules. 

The Patriots were able to keep possession as the call was overturned and they were able to march into field goal range – with kicker Adam Vinatieri knocking through a game-tying field goal to force overtime.

In OT, Vinatieri was called into service again – knocking through a 23-yard chip shot to win the game.

Thanks to this, New England would go on to win Super Bowl XXXVI and started the Patriots’ dynasty. 

Tom Brady completes a pass in the 2001 AFC Divisional Round game vs. the Oakland Raiders

Tom Brady completes a pass in the 2001 AFC Divisional Round game vs. the Oakland Raiders

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