|
Kraft wants to see 'Spygate' video
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Apr. 01 2008
PALM BEACH, FLA. — If Matt Walsh has evidence that he illegally taped a Rams
walk-through practice the day before Super Bowl XXXVI, New England owner Robert
Kraft wants to see it.
Kraft all but challenged Walsh to put up or shut up in comments made to
reporters Monday at the NFL owners meeting.
"A newspaper made a damaging allegation about the so-called Matt Walsh affair,"
Kraft said. "I believe that it's something that never happened. And if so why
wouldn't — two months later — anything have come out?"
On the day before last season's Super Bowl between the Patriots and the New
York Giants, the Boston Herald reported that the Patriots had taped the Rams'
walk-through prior to St. Louis' 20-17 Super Bowl loss to New England six years
earlier. At the time, Walsh was a member of the Patriots' film crew.
"We live in a society where people can make any kind of allegations," Kraft
said. "But then it has to be substantiated. ... Allegations were made. It took
five, six years to come out, and then two months after it's come out, there's
nothing. You folks decide why that hasn't happened."
The NFL has been negotiating for weeks with Walsh's attorney to have Walsh
speak to the league about what he knows about "Spygate."
"I'm looking forward to him speaking and hopefully cleaning this up and
completely exonerating us," Kraft said. "I know ourselves and the NFL have done
everything we can do to help his lawyers help him speak. But he never signed
any confidentiality statement with us. So as far as I'm concerned, I don't know
why he just doesn't come out and speak."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that he was "a little frustrated"
that no agreement has been reached to have Walsh speak to the league.
"We are making progress," Goodell said. "I hope it'll be soon. ... Matt Walsh
is free to speak to anybody. But he has asked that some conditions (be met).
We've met with over 50 people, and he's the only one who has conditions."
For his part, Rams President John Shaw said he is convinced that the NFL is
doing everything it can to complete the Spygate investigation. In his most
expansive comments on the topic, Shaw said he has met with NFL officials "three
or four times" on "Spygate" and has spoken with the Patriots on a couple of
occasions.
"I'm led to believe continually that there is no tape of the walk-through,"
Shaw said. "I'm also curious as to why that deal hasn't been cut with Walsh.
But every time I've asked, Goodell has said it will get done."
League sources said Monday that Shaw recently met with Mike Martz in California
on the topic, with Martz offering to help in any way possible. Currently
offensive coordinator for the San Francisco *****, Martz was Rams head coach in
that Super Bowl against New England.
The Rams spent much of that pre-Super Bowl walk-through emphasizing goal-line
offense and short-yardage plays. That season, the Rams led the NFL in red zone
offense, scoring touchdowns on 63.6 percent of their possessions inside the
opponent's 20-yard line.
Eight Rams possessions in that Super Bowl reached New England territory, but
only once did the Rams advance into the red zone. On that possession, six Rams
plays netted only eight yards. A fourth-down penalty, which negated a fumble
returned for a touchdown by Patriots safety Tebucky Jones, gave the Rams a
fresh set of downs at the New England 1. They scored two plays later.
The Patriots ranked third in the NFL that season in red zone defense, allowing
touchdowns on only 38.8 percent of opponents' trips inside the 20.
"I haven't allowed myself to get to the point of asking if the outcome would've
been affected (by illegal taping), because I don't know what the evidence is,"
Shaw said. "To play a game of speculation is just crazy."
Nonetheless, Shaw said, "One goes through a whole series of emotional issues
when you hear (the allegation). Just the fact that somebody would be cheating
would be a bad thing. Our league is about integrity and the integrity of the
game. So any form of cheating would be really a bad thing."
EXTRA PICK FOR RAMS
The Rams were awarded a compensatory draft pick by the league Monday for free
agents lost following the 2006 season. In fact, it's the "Mr. Irrelevant" pick,
the final pick of the draft. It's a seventh-rounder, No. 252 overall.
__________________
"I would much rather have a bottle in front of me than a
frontal lobotomy"!!
|
Linear Mode
