A fan has gained access to the last Miami Dolphins practice session, and leaked multiple plays online ahead of their Thursday night clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The plays involved stars such as Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa, who was named as questionable ahead of Thursday, and with it being their final preparation session, their best plays would have been on show. The NFL are very strict about practices being leaked, or even being viewed when not authorised.
It is not yet known how the fan got in, but it will be a huge security wake-up call for the NFL. Especially after multiple videos of different plays were listed online, in a major breach.
The Dolphins face the Bengals in the week 4 opener, with the side from Miami travelling to Cincinnati with the hopes of maintaining their 100 per-cent record. However, that may now prove to be a little more difficult, as some of their more obscure plays were leaked.
In the past, teams, coaches and organisations have been handed hefty penalties for breaching privacy protocols. But as this was a fan that isn't known to the NFL, the league are in a predicament.
However, the NFL will certainly do all that they can to take some form of action, especially as they'll want to deter any other punters from now on. In the past coaches - including Bill Belichick - have been fined for going against league rules when it comes attempting to gain an advantage through observing practice.
The New England Patriots coach was heavily fined in 2007 during the 'spy-gate' scandal. They were caught filming the New York Jets’ coaches from an angle that wasn't accepted.
Not only was Belichick fined $500,000, which would've equated to £250,000 back in 2007, the team was also hit with a £125,000 fine. And just in case that wasn't enough, they lost their first round draft pick the following year.
It's already been a tough week for the Dolphins, who have had injury problems along with the threat of Hurricane Ian back in Florida. And this won't help their preparation either, especially against a refocused Bengals side.
The Bengals lost their opening two matches of the season, but the Super Bowl finalists from last season bounced back with a 27-12 win over the Jets. Joe Burrow was back to his best, which he proved to the world last season following an incredible season.
And Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa barely put a foot wrong last week either, as they beat the Buffalo Bills. However, he remains questionable, and it's likely that his inclusion will be a late decision.
Tagovailoa was in practice, as we have now all seen, but whether he is game ready is still yet to be answered.
