In the same year as "Spygate" what award did head coach of the Patriots Bill Belichick receive?
Answer
NFL Coach of the Year Award
In the same year as the NFL’s Spygate scandal, Bill Belichick received the NFL Coach of the Year Award.
Spygate occurred during the 2007 NFL season, when the New England Patriots were caught videotaping opposing coaches’ signals from an unauthorized location. The NFL fined Belichick $500,000, fined the Patriots $250,000, and took away the team’s first-round draft pick.
Despite the controversy, Belichick’s Patriots finished the 2007 regular season 16–0, becoming the first team to complete an undefeated 16-game regular season. That extraordinary performance helped him win the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year honor, his second such award at the time.
The team ultimately lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants, finishing 18–1 overall. Belichick later won the award again for the 2010 season. The question’s wording usually refers to the 2007 AP NFL Coach of the Year award, rather than a separate coaching honor.