Spygate claims new (and correct) victim
Posted by Rick on May 14, 2008
Former New England Patriots’ Assistant Matt Walsh met separately yesterday with Commissioner Roger Goodell and Senator Arlen “Magic Bullet” Specter. No doubt that Bullet Boy will end up venting his wrath on the NFL in general and the Patriots in particular, but it was worth noting that Goodell immediately commented to the press that his four hour meeting with Walsh provided absolutely no new information… the information Walsh provided was consistent with what the New England Patriots had disclosed and for which they had already been penalized.
End of story? Almost. You see, there’s this little matter of the Boston Herald reporting an unsubstantiated story about the Patriots taping the walk-through of the Rams prior to the Super Bowl in 2002. Walsh’s story to Goodell indicated no such walk-through ever happened, by Walsh or anyone else.
Here is the Herald’s response:
Newspaper says Spygate story false, apologizes
BOSTON (AP)—The Boston Herald has apologized for reporting that the New England Patriots videotaped a walkthrough by the St. Louis Rams one day before the two teams played in the Super Bowl in 2002.
In the apology, published in the newspaper’s Wednesday edition and posted on its Web site, the Herald said it now knows the report was inaccurate and that no tape ever existed.
The apology came one day after former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Walsh told Goodell he did not tape the walkthrough and had no knowledge of any other Patriots employees having done so.
The Herald’s Feb. 2 story, published one day before New England’s 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, was based on unidentified sources.
Does the Herald really believe this is going to end with an apology? While Matt Walsh was protected by the NFL for stealing materials belonging to the team, the Herald gets no such protection for making up a story that served to pile on the Patriots when their reputation was getting hammered, and came a day before the Super Bowl. If I am Robert Kraft, I sue their a$$es off… and I am generally not one inclined to yell “lawsuit”. But this case merits it. For being a Boston newspaper, the Herald has a palpable anti-Patriot bias. If they want to hate the Patriots, fine. But they need to be taught a lesson about making crap up and publishing it.
Thus, the newest recipient of the Golden Momo is… the Boston Herald.
