BOSTON -- The NFL has come down hard on New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the team, after its investigation found Belichick engaged in "a calculated and deliberate attempt" to break the rules in spying on the New York Jets.

Belichick has been fined the maximum $500,000 allowed by the league's constitution, after the team was caught taping signals during the game Sunday. Belichick was not suspended, though Commissioner Roger Goodell said he considered it.

A contrite Belichick issued an apology late Thursday night, hours after Goodell's ruling was released.

The decision, first reported exclusively by WCVB earlier in the day, will also cost the Patriots at least one draft choice in next year's NFL draft and a hefty fine.

It will be a first-round choice if the Patriots make the playoffs; otherwise, second-and third-round choices. The team must also pay a $250,000 fine.

"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field," Goodell wrote in a letter to the Patriots.

The $500,000 fine has to be paid by Belichick himself and cannot be paid by the team's owner, Robert Kraft.

"Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career," Belichick wrote.

The league had warned teams about its videotaping policy in September of last year, it said in a statement. "No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game."

Belichick said he had misinterpreted NFL rules, but accepted full responsibility. "Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules," he said.

Goodell said he determined that the Patriots' use of the camera did not have any impact on the outcome of the game, which the Patriots won 38-14.

The investigation, the league said, found that the Kraft family was unaware of what Belichick was doing. However, the league imposed the penalty on the team because "Coach Belichick not only serves as the head coach but also has substantial control over all aspects of New England's football operations."

"I specifically considered whether to impose a suspension on coach Belichick," commissioner Goodell wrote. "I have determined not to do so, largely because I believe that the discipline I am imposing of a maximum fine and forfeiture of a first-round draft choice, or multiple draft choices, is in fact more significant and long-lasting, and therefore more effective, than a suspension."

The Patriots were accused of spying during Sunday's game by Jets coach Eric Mangini. Mangini was formerly Belichick's assistant on the Patriots.

NFL security officials confiscated a video camera from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the sideline Sunday.