The Walsh Tapes: What Does This Mean?

The amount of misinformation out there with this Spygate thing is absurd, and frankly I can't keep up. Matt Walsh has sent 8 tapes to the NFL, and apparently none of them are of the St. Louis Rams' pre-Super Bowl walkthrough. Of that tape, Walsh's lawyer had this to say: "Mr. Walsh has never claimed to have a tape of the walk-through." So, right there I'm confused. I thought the whole reason the NFL was trying to get their hands on Walsh was that he claimed to have this specific tape.

The 8 tapes that Walsh did send were evidence of the Patriots taping defensive and offensive signals of opponents between 2000 and 2002. Greg Aiello said that the evidence in these tapes "is consistent with what the Patriots had admitted they had been doing, consistent with what we already knew." So, I guess what I don't understand is what happens next. Does the fact that there is no walkthrough tape mean that no further action is going to be taken? The NFL is not learning anything new from these tapes.


So, if the NFL is not learning anything new, can they punish the Patriots again for the same infraction? If not, was this whole thing for nothing?

The NFL said that the Patriots would receive stiffer punishment should evidence surface that they were continuing this practice. So, it would seem that these tapes from 2000-2002 don't mean anything, because they do not indicate that New England continued taping after they were punished. However, in September, the NFL released this statement:

"All tapes, documents and other records relating to this matter were turned over to the league office and destroyed, and the Patriots have certified in writing that no copies or other records exist. League policies on in-game videotaping and audio communication will continue to be closely monitored and strictly enforced with all 32 teams."

Obviously, other copies existed. Does that mean that this new evidence has opened the door for heavier punishment to be levied against New England?

The NFL has been incredibly secretive and cryptic about this whole thing. This is not the CIA, they don't need to destroy evidence before it falls into the wrong hands and they don't need to keep secrets from the American public for the sake of national security (unless this thing goes WAY deeper than any of us know). I say this not because I think the NFL is trying to protect the Patriots, I say it because I'm a fan and I want to know what's going on. This is the first time something like this has happened. The fact that the Patriots were videotaping signals leads me to believe that other teams were doing it as well. I want to know what it looks like, who else is doing it, and how long it has been going on. Right now, I know more details about the Chicago White Sox blow-up dolls than I do about Spygate.



Tonight might be the best playoff night yet. Pierce, Allen, and LeBron all looking to step up their game 2 performances, and a game 3 in San Antonio that I expect will take on a game 7 atmosphere.