Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The New England Patriots videotaped St. Louis's last practice before upsetting the Rams in the Super Bowl after the 2001 season, the Boston Herald reported.

A member of the National Football League team's video department remained behind after the Patriots worked out and filmed the Rams' final walkthrough of their plays in the Louisiana Superdome the day before New England beat St. Louis 20-17 on a last-second field goal, the Herald reported, citing a person close to that year's Patriots' team it didn't identify.

The newspaper said the staffer wasn't asked to produce identification while at the Rams' practice and it's not known what was done with the tape or if the team or someone else instructed the person to film the walkthrough.

The Patriots called the allegations ``absolutely false'' in a statement. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he was not aware of the Patriots videotaping the Rams at the Super Bowl, the Herald said.

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, yesterday said he plans to summon Goodell before Congress to explain why the league destroyed tapes showing the Patriots stealing defensive signals from other teams.

In September, the NFL fined the Patriots a combined $750,000 and took away a first-round draft choice for breaking league videotaping policy by filming the New York Jets' signals from the sidelines in their season-opening game. Goodell said the tape represented ``a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in Phoenix at akuriloff@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 2, 2008 20:06 EST