May 14, 2008 9:00 am US/Eastern
Boston Herald Apologizes For Spygate Story
BOSTON (CBS) ―
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 that 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 that he did not tape the walkthrough and had no knowledge of any other Patriots employees having done so.
The Herald said its Feb. 2 story, published one day before New England's 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, was based on "sources that it believed to be credible."
But that article, written by John Tomase, actually cited just one source.
Here is the key line in the article:
"According to a source, a member of the team's video department filmed the Rams' final walkthrough before that 2002 game."
(Read the original article
here)
The Herald did not identify the source.
In the apology, the newspaper said it did not view or possess a tape of the walkthrough and should not have published the allegation without "firmer verification."
Patriots owner Robert Kraft held up a copy of the paper during an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
He called the story "very damaging" and said he was glad the Herald admitted it's mistake. But he said the paper's apology probably couldn't undo the damage to the team's reputation nationwide.
"This erroneous story coming out was really harmful and what bothers me more about this story is where it went, throughout the country, where people don't know us as well," he said. "And unfortunately, now they won't see this retraction. But people who know us, know what we're about."
Kraft said the team has done an audit of its procedures to make sure everything complies with NFL rules.
"We, our people, broke a rule the first week of the season," he said. "Since that time, there has been no team in the history of sports who has been under more intense scrutiny. And we were able, over the next 18 weeks of the season to go 18-0."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
