The Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons got into hot water with the NFL during the 2014 season. Browns GM Ray Farmer illegally texted with coaches during games while the Falcons piped fake crowd noise into the Georgia Dome. Now, the league is preparing to hand down "severe" discipline on both teams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Browns, Falcons facing ‘severe’ punishment for 2014 violations, per report
The NFL could might lay heavy penalties to Cleveland for “textgate” and Atlanta for piping in fake crowd noise.
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The news comes soon after the annual NFL owners meetings, which concluded Wednesday. Schefter says that the league will announce its decision next week.
In recent years, the NFL has punished teams like the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints by stripping away draft picks and suspending key coaches and executives. It's possible that the Browns and Falcons could each endure some measure of each, though it's unclear at this time. There is also a chance the league could just hand down a significant fine.
Meanwhile, Goodell told reporters earlier Wednesday that there is no timeframe for a report from the Ted Wells-led investigation of “Deflategate.” The league could potentially also punish the Patriots if incriminating information was uncovered. The Patriots previously were docked a first-round pick as the result of the 2007 “Spygate” scandal.
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