Patriots Defense + SpyGate

After meeting with ex-Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh for three and a half hours Tuesday and reviewing the tapes Walsh presented, the NFL will not further penalize the Patriots regarding the SpyGate affair.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell, Walsh claimed there was no Rams Super Bowl walkthrough tape, he never saw such a tape, and that Walsh was on the sidelines during the practice in full Patriots gear. Other than filming signals, Walsh said he knew of no other cheating by New England. Walsh did say the Pats allowed players on injured reserve to practice, which is against league rules, and that players scalped Super Bowl tickets. Goodell says the NFL will look into those issues, but has no plans to take action. This appears to be the end of SpyGate, finally.
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/home_NFL.aspx

 

Goodell: Walsh says Pats didn't have Super Bowl walk-through tape
NEW YORK -- After meeting with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh for more than three hours, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said no new information had come to light as a result and indicated that the Spygate scandal had run its course.



Goodell also said he was told by Walsh that the Patriots did not have a videotape of a walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams prior to the 2002 Super Bowl. The Boston Herald had previously reported that such a tape existed, but Goodell said Tuesday he was able to verify that there is no such tape.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3394017

 

Goodell: Nothing new to report on Spygate
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8132938/Goodell:-Nothing-new-to-report-on-Spygate

 

Stalegate
After a more than three hour meeting with former Patriots' employee Matt Walsh, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says no new information related to the Patriots' videotaping controversy was discovered. Walsh is on his way to meet with Sen. Arlen Specter, but as far as Goodell is concerned, the matter is over.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/

 

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/13/felger-bristles-at-questions-from-bristol/
FELGER BRISTLES AT QUESTIONS FROM BRISTOL
Our friend Mike Felger of the Boston Herald and ESPN Radio in Boston, with whom we’ve appeared numerous times, was interviewed by phone on ESPN earlier this afternoon.

The exchange between Trey Wingo and Felger was tense at times.

Said Wingo at the outset, “Now let us bring in the man who represents the paper that’s sort of been behind the onus of all of this [Editor’s note: Was that Trey Wingo talking, or Emmitt Smith?], and that is Mike Felger, a columnist for the Boston Herald . . . . Mike, we heard the Commissioner basically say that Matt Walsh denied the existence of a videotape of the Rams’ walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI at his news conference. Your story, your paper of course, not your story, your paper reported that in a February 2 edition that a source told you that there was indeed a videotape of that walk-through. What’s your reaction to what the Commissioner had to say?”

 

Goodell washes hands of Spygate; Specter up next
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/...spygat.html?cxntfid=blogs_inside_the_dolphins
But Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter still wants to pursue the case and was to speak with Walsh today in Washington D.C.

Among the most interesting revelations from Goodell’s news conference this afternoon was the lack of any evidence the Patriots had taped the Rams walk-through prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. Walsh said he didn’t tape it, wasn’t asked, didn’t know of anybody who did and never heard any mention that such a tape existed despite reports in the Boston Herald

 

The end of Spygate: Walsh doesn't deliver, but Belichick still looks bad
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/13/walsh.goodell/index.html

 

HERALD APOLOGIZES FOR SUPER BOWL XXXVI STORY
In a stunning but not surprising move, the Boston Herald has apologized to the New England Patriots for the February 2 report that the Patriots videotaped the walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/14/herald-apologizes-for-super-bowl-xxxvi-story/

 

Walsh has no smoking gun but Belichick has nowhere to run
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10825023

 

Fiedler, Bates speak on ‘01 Spygate entanglement
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/...008/05/13/fiedler_bates_speak_on_01_dolp.html

 

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has called for an independent investigation into the Spygate matter.

"It's my judgment that there ought to be an impartial investigation, an outside investigation, like the investigation that baseball had with former Sen. George Mitchell," he said. Specter didn't rule out Congressional involvement. He says Matt Walsh told him Patriots offensive players would memorize opposing signals during games and relay them to Charlie Weis. With that in mind, Weis would then instruct Tom Brady on the field. Walsh reportedly estimated it helped the Pats anticipate 75% of the defensive plays being called.
Source: Boston Globe
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/home_NFL.aspx