| Posted
5-10-08
Former Pats Employee Walsh Sends Eight Tapes to NFL
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Former Patriots employee Matt Walsh has reportedly sent the NFL eight tapes showing that the team recorded play- calling signals by coaches of five opponents over six games between 2000 and 2002.
However, according to a report in the New York Times, the tapes do not include video of the St. Louis Rams walkthrough practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, which Walsh had been rumored to possess.
The taping of such signals is in violation of league rules. However, Walsh's lawyer, Michael Levy, told the Times that his client does not have a tape of the St. Louis walkthrough despite a report in the Boston Herald the day before this year's Super Bowl that cited an anonymous source who said such a tape does exist.
The Patriots and the NFL have both denied reports of the alleged taping of the Rams walkthrough. New England upset the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Walsh is scheduled to have separate meetings with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) -- who has publicly criticized Goodell for destroying the evidence handed over to the league by the Patriots. Walsh's meetings next Tuesday could provide additional information as to the depth and procedure of the taping.
According to the Times, the first tape handed over is dated September 25, 2000, from a game the previous day. The last is dated September 29, 2002. All the tapes are scheduled to arrive at the NFL offices in New York on Thursday.
The tapes include games against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers. Since the dates of the tapes, the Patriots are a combined 31-9 against those five teams, including a 3-0 mark in the postseason.
Seven of the tapes show shots of opposing coaches' signals, followed by a shot of the play, according to the Times. The Chargers tape shows raw footage of the San Diego coaches from the New England sidelines, followed immediately by a shot of the scoreboard showing time, down and distance, but no actual plays.
Among the tapes is video from the 2002 AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh, which is reportedly the most detailed tape, showing two angles of each play.
Walsh, who is now a golf pro in Hawaii, was fired in January 2003 for allegedly tape-recording a conversation with vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli. Walsh has asked for legal protection from the league in order to come forward.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was fined $250,000 and forfeited its first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft after a New England employee was caught videotaping New York Jets coaches during the 2007 season opener.
Goodell has suggested that further evidence could lead to additional penalties to both Belichick and the franchise.
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