NFL Closes Patriots Case

Team didn't tape the Rams in Super Bowl; Herald apologizes for running story
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 14, 2008 9:32 AM CDT
NFL Closes Patriots Case
The New England Patriots players celebrate after beating the St. Louis Rams 20-17 to win Super Bowl XXXVI. The NFL has determined that the Pats did not secretly tape the Rams' practice.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

After meeting with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell effectively closed the book on Spygate. Goodell also determined that a tape of the St. Louis Rams' practice before Super Bowl XXXVI never existed, prompting the Boston Herald to issue an apology for publishing the rumors "in the absence of firmer verification."

The NFL's investigation turned up some minor Pats sins, such as scalping tickets and practicing with an injured reserve player. But after seeing Walsh's tapes, Goodell deemed the team's punishment sufficient. “As I stand before you today having met with Matt Walsh and 50 others, I don’t know where else to turn,” he concluded. (More Spygate stories.)

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