In the aftermath of the discipline levied against the New England Patriots for taping opponents defensive signals, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is seeking a sweeping crackdown on spying for next season.

It would include harsher penalties on teams and employees caught spying; unannounced inspections of locker-rooms and coaches' areas in press boxes; and a lower threshold for imposing discipline on those who violate the rule.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, shown in February, has proposed changes to crack down on spying, including unannounced inspections of locker-rooms and coaches' areas in press boxes.
(Dennis Cook/Associated Press)

The changes, first disclosed in Friday's editions of the Washington Post, are contained in a memo obtained by the Associated Press. It was sent to the league's rule-making competition committee, which will consider them and make recommendations to the owners at the league meeting starting March 30 in Palm Beach, Fla.

"I think there are a number of steps that should be taken in advance of the start of the 2008 season to improve and strengthen the enforcement procedures designed to preserve the competitive integrity of the game," Goodell wrote in the memo.

It is a direct outgrowth from the scandal known as Spygate, which resulted in severe fines against coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, and the forfeiture of New England's first-round draft choice after the confiscation of tapes during the opening game of the season against the New York Jets.

The tapes and other evidence were subsequently destroyed, leading to further outcry, including a meeting between Goodell and Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who expressed his displeasure at disclosures that the Patriots' spying may have gone back to 2000.