The NFL will begin attaching microphones to the pads of some players, starting Sunday, for all regular-season and playoff games, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The league announced in a memo that each team will have a microphone placed in the pads of either the starting and backup center or both starting guards. The intent is to add to broadcasts by providing audio from the line of scrimmage without divulging team-specific information relayed during the course of the game.
The microphone only will be activated while players are on the field. Audio from the locker room, sidelines and huddle will not be captured.
"There are issues with coaches and teams who from a competitive standpoint don't want their cadence and that type of thing put out there to be studied by opponents," ESPN's Jay Rothman, producer of "Monday Night Football," told the Times. "So it's really just an audio source for us meant to enhance the sound from the trenches but not be the predominant sound."
The arrangement, which originally was planned to start at the beginning of last year, was part of the new collective bargaining agreement reached this summer.
