“I received notice today that the National Football League has completed its investigation of an incident involving our club’s violation of the League’s Integrity of the Game Policy, specifically a videotaping of a portion of the San Francisco 49ers’ “walkthrough” practice on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, at Wembley Stadium in London.“Upon learning of this incident, the Denver Broncos promptly began an investigation into this matter and reported this violation to the League office, which then started its investigation.
“The Denver Broncos fully cooperated with every aspect of the League investigation.
Upon completion, the investigation revealed the following facts:
· The person who videotaped a portion of the “walkthrough” practice did so on his own and was not directed to do so by anyone within the organization, including Head Coach Josh McDaniels.
· Upon learning that the “walkthrough” had been videotaped, the Head Coach informed the person who did the taping that this was not acceptable, that this is not how the Denver Broncos organization conducts business and that he would not view the videotape.
· The videotape was subsequently deleted from the computer where it resided by the employee who performed the taping. No one from the organization viewed the videotape prior to Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
· The videotaping of this “walkthrough” practice was a one-time occurrence, erroneously performed by one employee who used extremely poor judgment.
· Head Coach Josh McDaniels was right to inform the employee that he had no interest in viewing the tape and that it was not how he or the Denver Broncos conducts business. However, under League Policy he is obligated to promptly notify the League of this matter and his failure to do so has resulted in discipline imposed by the Commissioner.
“The Denver Broncos and I, as the Owner, believe in the integrity of the National Football League and fair competition and do not, in any way, condone this type of behavior. The fact that an employee of the Denver Broncos would take such action is personally disappointing to me. I apologize to all affected by this incident. This employee is no longer with the organization.
“This incident cuts into the trust and respect our fans, our ticket holders, our community and our fellow competitors have for our organization. That is why the Denver Broncos, upon learning of this violation, immediately investigated this matter and reported the incident to the League.
“The Denver Broncos and I accept the discipline imposed by the NFL. We will take all steps to ensure that an incident like this never occurs again. We will always strive to uphold the integrity of our organization and the National Football League.”
