Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
People associated with NFL teams have generally backed the league in its Spygate findings, at least in public. Chris Brown, who writes for the Buffalo Bills' web site, expresses a different view while addressing Matt Walsh's comments to HBO.
Under a headline reading, "Just as I feared," Brown writes, in part, "In excerpts from the interview released by HBO, Walsh explains how the Patriots were given an edge that I thought was very real, but the NFL chose to dismiss as minimal."
Opinions relating to Spygate differ in and out of the league, of course, but the NFL has generally kept a united front in its public comments. Brown, described as the "lead journalist" on the team's site, is frequently outspoken in his assessments.
Adds Brown: "The veracity of Walsh's statements will never be fully known since there's probably no one on this planet that will corroborate his claims, but you don't conduct such practices for eight years unless it provides an advantage. This was the advantage I feared existed. By no means am I dismissing the talent and ability of the Patriots as a team this decade, but if what Walsh says is accurate there should've been stiffer punishment than a fine and a draft pick."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly downplayed the significance of information the Patriots gleaned from improper videotaping. He has also defended the punishment handed out the Patriots.
H
