NFL comes down hard on Belichick

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft and may take away a first-round draft pick as a result of their investigation into the team's illegal use of cameras to videotape the opposing sideline in Week 1. According to the Boston Globe, Belichick was slapped with a $500,000 fine, Kraft will be dinged $250,000, and the Pats will lose a first-round draft pick if they make the playoffs this year, or second- and third-rounders if they don't. Goodell has been playing hardball in his first year as the NFL's boss, and he dropped the hammer on the Patriots. The fines are irrelevant, but the loss of a first-round draft pick is a crippling blow for a franchise that's always been thought of as the most well-run organization in football. In any case, don't expect this to affect the Pats' preparation for this weekend's prime time tilt against the Chargers.