Did you see the recent stories about the National Football League (NFL) conducting a bug sweep in the New York Jets’ locker room before their Week 7 game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium? It was the talk of all the sports media outlets for several days, given DeflateGate and other instances in which the Patriots have been accused of potential cheating.
Funny thing though the Jets said they didn’t make the request for the listening device sweep. But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the electronic bug detection sweep did occur. Eventually, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy responded by saying that the NFL has conducted regular, random sweeps of locker rooms for listening devices for years. However, the league does not provide the specifics about any checks or when they take place.
Supposedly, the Patriots have been concerned that a visiting team might plant eavesdropping devices in the locker rooms and claim the Patriots put them there to get them into trouble with the league. The Patriots have asked the NFL previously to do a bug sweep in the visiting team’s locker room before an opposing team arrives, but the league has refused to do it.
But it’s not just the Patriots who are worried about possible bugs being planted. At least five NFL teams have had their hotels, locker rooms or coaches’ booths in New England previously swept for listening devices. For the record, no listening devices have ever been found.
This news story does bring up the point that there are people out there who are willing to illegally eavesdrop or conduct electronic surveillance to obtain confidential information for monetary and other gains. Therefore, if you – or your sports team, corporation or other business – have serious concerns that someone may be spying on you, contact the technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) specialists at We have over 50 years of experience in conducting TSCM sweeps. Our expert TSCM services professionals are familiar with various types of eavesdropping devices, hidden video cameras and phone tapping equipment; and we know what to look for when conducting an audio or video bug sweep or TSCM sweep.
Don’t be a victim of corporate, industrial or personal espionage. Protect your team, company or personal reputation from the loss of intellectual property, trade secrets or other confidential information by having a TSCM Sweep done by to alleviate your fears.
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations