After meeting with former Patriots employee Matt Walsh yesterday, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter called for an independent investigation into the Patriots videotaping of opposing team signals. He said the NFL should conduct an outside probe similar to former Sen. George Mitchell's investigation of the use of steroids by Major League Baseball players. The *Boston Globe*, *Boston Herald*, *Providence Journal* and the *Hartford Courant* all report on Senator Specter's findings.
An AP story published in today's Boston Herald notes that owner Robert Kraft complimented the Boston Herald for apologizing for a story that said his team videotaped a St. Louis Rams walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI.
"I must compliment the Boston Herald for doing what is unprecedented in terms of recognizing their error in a major way," Kraft said. "I'm really delighted with that, but I wish it never happened."
The Boston Herald took their apology for the false report a step further with a personal apology from the newspapers' editor in chief Kevin Convey.
"A newspaper's bond with its readers rests on credibility and accountability. When a mistake is made in reporting a story, that bond can remain intact, but only if the mistake is acknowledged, and acknowledged boldly, clearly and unequivocally."
"The Herald did just that yesterday with its unprecedented front-page apology to the New England Patriots. We thought our story was solid. It wasn't. And we owned up to it."
"In the end, as editor in chief of the Herald, I take full responsibility for the publication of this story, and I offer my own apology to our readers and our staff."
Former Patriots employee Matt Walsh gave an interview with HBO's Andrea Kremer which is scheduled to air Friday night on "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel." In his interview, Walsh discusses his meetings with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter according to report in the Hartford Courant.
A Boston Globe piece reports that a Patriots lawsuit against the *Boston Herald* appears unlikely at this time. The front page apology yesterday to the New England Patriots appeared to defuse the threat of a potentially damaging lawsuit by the team over the paper's false report that a Patriots employee videotaped their opponent's practice before the 2002 Super Bowl. The Globe cited unnamed team officials that noted that a lawsuit "has been discussed," but added, "I don't think we're pursuing that at this time."
