Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
I think anyone who believes that the Boston Herald didn't realize it had made a serious mistake until after the Matt Walsh-Roger Goodell meeting Tuesday is being pretty naive. The newspaper may have taken the "unprecedented" step to apologize to the Patriots on the front page Wednesday, but I thought it came across as somewhat flippant -- and late.
As a tabloid, it's difficult for the Herald to suddenly start acting like a bastion of journalistic integrity. Blaring the headline "Sorry, Pats!" across the front page doesn't really reflect a sincere apology. And neither did a retraction in which the paper said that John Tomase based his infamous Super Bowl walk-through on "sources" when the actual story cited one source.
That might sound like a minor point, but it's pretty important when you're trying to establish where this story fell apart. In this morning's paper we hear from Herald editor Kevin Convey. He stands behind Tomase, which isn't easy to do right now. And he praises him for the work he's done under "intense pressure."
Will Tomase remain on the Patriots beat next season? I would be shocked if he did. It wouldn't be a good situation for him, the newspaper or its readers.
H
