Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick will be paying a half million dollar fine for his part in the team’s spying scandal--and that’s not the only penalty that will be paid by the team.

The NFL has fined New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the team a total of $750,000 for videotaping an opponent’s signals. The team also has been told to forfeit draft choices.

The Pats were caught videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive signals during last Sunday’s 38-14 win at the Meadowlands.

CBS 2 HD has learned Belichick was hit with a $500,000 fine by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The team will have to hand over $250,000.

The Patriots will also have to forfeit at least one draft pick in 2008, but that will depend on how they finish this season. If they make the playoffs, they will lose a first-round pick. If they don’t make the postseason, they will give up their second-and third-round picks.

I don’t have a strong opinion about the appropriateness of the fines and penalties--I have no idea how serious or how important the spying was to any of the Patriots’ victories. The funniest part of the whole scandal is that, irritating as he is, Belichick really is a brilliant coach and the Patriots have had phenomenal talent for years. I doubt they needed to cheat to win.

Anyway, the penalty does seem on the steep side. Until you see what the FIA did to McLaren in their own spy scandal today.

McLaren have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors’ championship after the outcome of the “spygate” row.
The team were also fined a record $100m (£49.2m), which includes any prize and television money they would have earned from the constructors’ championship.

But drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can keep their points.

The team must also prove there is no Ferrari “intellectual property” in their cars next year before racing.

One hundred million dollars.

Ouch.

For the record, I’m pretty sure the Patriots will be giving up that first round draft pick at the end of the year, too. If they don’t make the playoffs, I’ll be shocked.

Update: Kindly linked by Nathan who is one of many voices who think that the Patriots got off a bit light.