Let's not give NE a pass just because they video taped a game which was available to the public. The fact of the matter is that their actions were a calculated effort to gain an unfair advantage. The league reviewed the incident and gave Belichick and NE major fines, not a simple slap on the wrist. So the NFL thought that their actions warranted major discipline, end of discussion.

 

"The 

New England Patriots
 were disciplined by the league for videotaping 

New York Jets
' defensive coaches' signals during a September 9, 2007 game. Videotaping opposing coaches is not illegal in the NFL but there are designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping. The Patriots were videotaping the Jets' coaches from their own sideline which is not allowed. The act was deemed by 

<a class="" href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Commissioner' title="NFL Commissioner">NFL Commissioner
</a> 

Roger Goodell
 to be in violation of league rules, causing him to say when penalizing the Patriots that this episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field. After an investigation, the NFL fined Patriots head coach 

Bill Belichick
 

$
500,000 (the maximum allowed by the league and the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league's 87-year history) for his role in the incident, fined the Patriots $250,000, and docked the team their original first-round selection in the 

<a class="" href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NFL_Draft' title="2008 NFL Draft">2008 NFL Draft
</a> which would have been the 31st pick of the draft.

^[3] The fine garnered significant media attention for being the "maximum amount" an individual could be fined." - Wikipedia

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