Here's part of the apology. It's straight from the Herald:
"On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed."
Teams cheat, whether we want to admit it or not, they do. You can curl up into a ball in a closet and it still won't change the fact that some teams cheat (I've done that already).
I'm not going to go as far to say all teams cheat, but I can't sit here and just say that no teams cheat. It happens! The Patriots aren't the only ones who cheat. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed that out on Sunday.
You can say what you want, but it can't change the past. The Patriots did get caught doing this and they were dealt a punishment. Whether that punishment was fair or not is a different story, but they were punished. They lost their first round pick (even though they got the 49ers pick).
What about the Boston Herald? What should be their fate?
They're a newspaper. Newspapers are prone to make mistakes every now and then. As an aspiring journalist, I understand that sources are significant to a story. Sources make the whole story, or the first three paragraphs.
If i were in the Herald's shoes, I'd be embarrassed as hell too. The Herald thought they had a hot scoop that would completely change a dynasty. Instead though, that hot scoop turned into a lump of coal.
Scoops come often and it is important for journalists to dissect them to get to the story. What is this story? Is it true? Journalists have to be careful how they word stories. If it comes out wrong or the source is wrong, it's nothing but trouble.
There's been a lot of talk about bloggers and responsibility and all this hoo-hah. Remember though, journalists are responsible and they have to be. Ordinary people turn to them for news and they trust journalists to tell the truth.
When the truth isn't told, the reader/viewer/listener feels deceived. How can a person trust the media if those who maintain it fail to tell the truth. That's like a friend lying to you. How can you trust your friend if they lie and let you down?
By no means am I a credible journalist, yet. But someday, I will be one and I might be in the same position as the Herald writer (hope not). All journalists and bloggers need to learn from this mistake. That's all I can do and that's all you can do.
There are those calling for the head of the writer of the February story. I don't know the whole situation and I don't think it's fair for me to decide what should be the fate of John Tomase.
That's not my call. Even if I was a Patriots fan, I don't think it should be my call. The man is probably the #1 enemy of the Boston Nation. The city of Boston might be upset and they have a right to be. Part of it is Tomase to blame, but when he broke the story, it spread like a wildfire.
The national media hopped on this story when it first broke and it became the talk of the country, just a few days before the Super Bowl.
Keep all of this in mind. I don't expect you to agree with me. Hell, you might think I'm some idiot who is randomly spouting pointless crap. I'm trying to put this into perspective, whether I'm right or wrong isn't the point. I've really had a hard time with this story and it has bothered me.
I love football, that's why I run this blog and that's why I'm writing this post. I may not be right about some things, but don't ever question my love for football. It's time to turn the page, I want to leave it at that.
I'm tired of it and I'm moving on.
I'm done talking about "Spygate." Never again will I talk about "Spygate" on this blog. I think it is time we moved on. If further allegations come up, then I might bend the rules a little, otherwise, enough! I'm sick and tired of it!
We're two months away from Training Camp and less than four months away from starting the NFL season.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some football!
Oh No Romo
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