In addition to the press conference conducted on Wednesday by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Specter released a lengthy statement regarding the results of his interview of former Pats employee Matt Walsh, and other observations regarding the Spygate situation.

The entire statement is right here.  Here are a few highlights:

First, Specter points out the ongoing ambiguity regarding the extent to which the taping was disclosed by the Patriots and/or the league when the matter first came to light in September 2007.  “Originally,” the statement reads, ”Commissioner Goodell said the taping was limited to late in the 2006 season and early in the 2007 season.  In his meeting with me on February 13, 2008, Goodell admitted the taping went back to 2000.  Until my meeting with Matt Walsh on May 13, 2008, the only taping we knew about took place from 2000 until 2002 and during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.”

Second, Specter shares more details about Walsh’s activities at the Rams’ walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.  “Walsh said [former receivers coach Brian] Daboll asked him specific questions about the Rams offense and Walsh told Daboll about Faulk’s lining up as a kick returner.  Walsh also told Daboll about Rams running backs ‘lining up in the flat.’  Walsh said Daboll then drew diagrams of the formations Walsh had described.”

Third, the statement outlines the lengths to which the Patriots went to avoid detection of the taping of defensive coaching signals.  “During at least one game, the January 27, 2002 AFC Championship game, Walsh was specifically instructed not to wear anything displaying a Patriots logo.  Walsh indicated he turned the Patriots sweatshirt he was wearing at the time inside-out.  Walsh was also given a generic credential instead of one that identified him as team personnel.”

Fourth, Specter shared previously undisclosed (to the general public) details information about how the videotaping of defensive coaching signals was used:  “Walsh was told by a former offensive player that a few days before the September 11, 2000 regular season game against Tampa Bay, he (the offensive player) was called into a meeting with Adams, Bill Belichick and Charlie Weis, then the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, during which it was explained how the Patriots would make use of the tapes.  The offensive player would memorize the signals and then watch for Tampa Bay’s defensive calls during the game.  He would then pass the plays along to Weis, who would give instructions to the quarterback on the field.  This process enabled the Patriots to go to a ‘no-huddle’ offensive, which would lock in the defense the opposing team had called from the sideline, preventing the defense from making any adjustments.  When Walsh asked whether the tape he had filmed was helpful, the offensive player said it had enabled the team to anticipate 75 percent of the plays being called by the opposing team.”

Fifth, Specter locked onto the red-herring notion that “offensive signals” were taped, too — even though there is no such thing as an “offensive signal,” and that the only thing taped in this regard (indications of grouping formations) are quickly decoded by advance scouts.

Sixth, Specter relies upon the nonsensical and inane rantings of ESPN’s Mark Schlereth in support of the notion that the tapes of the defensive coaching signals were used in the same game.  Specter’s own statement, as it relates to how the defensive signals were used, contradicts the notion that the Patriots would have been able to decipher the signals on the fly.  Moreover, Specter ignores the fact that Walsh said that the signals weren’t used later in the same game.

Seventh, as to the practice of taping teams whom the Pats weren’t scheduled to play again that year, the reality is that the Patriots clearly were establishing a database of coaching signals that could then be used when facing the same coaches in the future, whether with their current team or with a new team.

Eighth, and finally, Specter lays out his reasons for pursuing this matter:  “There is an unmistakable atmosphere of conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest between what is in the public’s interest and what is in the NFL’s interest.  The NFL has good reason to disclose as little as possible in its effort to convince the public that what was done wasn’t so bad, had no significant effect on the games and, in any event, has all been cleaned up.  Enormous financial interests are involved and the owners have a mutual self-interest in sticking together.  Evidence of winning by cheating would have the inevitable effect of undercutting public confidence in the game and reducing, perhaps drastically, attendance and TV revenues.

“The public interest is enormous.  Sports personalities are role models for all of us, especially youngsters.  If the Patriots can cheat, so can the college teams, so can the high school teams, so can the 6th grader taking a math examination.  The Congress has granted the NFL a most significant business advantage, an antitrust exemption, highly unusual in the commercial world.  That largesse can continue only if the NFL can prove itself worthy. Beyond the issues of role models and antitrust, America has a love affair with sports.  Professional football has topped all other sporting events in fan interest.  Americans have a right to be guaranteed that their favorite sport is honestly competitive.”

Reasonable minds might differ in this regard, but the antitrust exemption gives Congress an obvious interest in the manner in which the NFL conducts itself.  The problem for Specter, however, is that he’s still a lone voice shouting in the desert, with none of his colleagues joining in the quest to investigate the NFL.

When NFL owners gather on May 20 for a one-day business meeting in Atlanta, the primary item of business on the agenda will be a vote on the location of Super Bowl XLVI, which will be played on February 5, 2012.

The finalists are Houston, Indianapolis, and Arizona.

The next three Super Bowls will be played in Tampa, South Florida, and North Texas, respectively.

With the Boston Herald apologizing for its February 2 article claiming that the Patriots taped the Rams’ walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI and with Pats owner Bob Kraft accepting the apology, the next step in this saga becomes the soul-cleansing of those involved in the creation of the erroneous story.

On Friday, John Tomase of the Herald will address the situation.

“I know I screwed up on the Rams taping story and I don’t intend to hide behind today’s apology or an editor’s note,” Tomase wrote in “The Point After” blog on Wednesday.  “In Friday’s Herald I will explain as clearly as I can where that story went wrong and begin the journey of restoring your trust in my reporting.”

The phrase “restoring your trust” implies to us that Tomase won’t be fired or reassigned. 

But should he be?  That’s a tough one.  We believe that the same editor(s) who opted not to run the story without an on-the-record source opted to rush the thing to print once it became apparent that Matt Walsh was about to go on the record with a competitor.  If that’s the case, Tomase doesn’t bear the brunt of the blame.

Still, someone needs to be fired over this one.  Otherwise, there would be no true accountability within a medium that whines about the lack of accountability in this one.

For the second time in six days, a bank has won a judgment against Michael Vick.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a summary judgment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in favor of Wachovia Bank against Vick, ordering him to pay $1,117,908.85 after he defaulted on a loan.

Last week Vick was ordered to pay $2.5 million to the Royal Bank of Canada.

This week’s judgment stems from Vick borrowing  money to open a wine shop and restaurant in March 2007.  The Journal-Constitution reports that he’s been ordered to pay back the outstanding balance of more than $930,000 on the $1.3 million loan, plus interest,  outstanding fees, overdrawn accounts and attorneys fees.  The total might end up going higher, as further interest could be accrued.

As legend has it, sports broadcaster extraordinaire Al Michaels once proclaimed as to the prospects of working at ESPN that he won’t be working for a four-letter network.  Apparently, that vow still applies.

Per a media source, Michaels has turned down an opportunity to serve as the play-by-play man for NFLN’s regular-season slate of pro football games.

Michaels was pursued by the league-owned network to replace Bryant Gumbel, the big name with small talent who handled the duties for the first two years of the NFLN effort.  Michaels currently provides the play-by-play call for NBC’s weekly Sunday night coverage. 

It’s unclear where the NFL will go from here.  Others who have been linked to the job include Tom Hammond, Brad Nessler, Marv Albert, and Pat Summerall.  Other possibilities, in our view, would be Mike Patrick and Brent Musberger.

We also are intrigued by one or more outside-the-box possibilities, such as our pal Dan Patrick, whose weekday radio show streams live on SI.com — and who from time to time allows us to pollute his air waves. 

Another possibility would be to hire both Albert and our other pal Boomer Esiason (who currently team up for a national radio broadcast of the Monday night games), and make it a three-man crew, with the incumbent Cris Collinsworth, a former teammate of Esiason’s.

Prosecutors in Miami-Dade County have filed charges against a fifth suspect in the murder of Sean Taylor last November. Sixteen-year-old Timothy Brown was arrested in Lee County, Florida early this morning and is currently in jail awaiting extradition to Miami.

Brown is a relative of Charles Wardlow, also under arrest for the crime.  Like Wardlow, accused shooter Eric Rivera Jr. and the other two men charged in the crime, Brown is charged with first-degree murder.  Even if prosecutors hadn’t waived the chance to try for the death penalty, Brown wouldn’t have been eligible because he’s a minor.  Instead he’ll face life in prison without parole.

The trial is set to begin on August 25th.

The Cleveland Browns announced today that they have terminated the contract of defensive back Kenny Wright.

The Browns gave no reason for the announcement, which comes less than 24 hours after reports surfaced that Wright was arrested for possession of marijuana in March.  Wright was also arrested in April, but he had managed to keep the March arrest under wraps.

Under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, players are required to inform their employers when they’ve been arrested.  It is not clear when or whether Wright informed the Browns of the March arrest.  The April arrest was widely reported in the media (as was his hideous mug shot) and the Browns obviously learned of that one shortly after it happened whether Wright contacted the team or not.

The 30-year-old Wright played seven games last season, starting one.  His multiple arrests make it possible that he’ll be suspended, although that won’t matter if the rest of the league decides that his production on the field isn’t worth the off-field problems he brings with him.

Arlen Specter was very upfront about part of his motivation for calling for an independent investigation into Spygate.  He’s a Senator from Pennsylvania and he’s concerned that tapes made of the Steelers in 2004 may have contributed to their loss in the AFC Championship game.

He was less forthcoming about another potential reason for his anger at the NFL.  Specter has very close ties with Comcast, based in his state, and they’ve been fighting with the league about the placement of the NFL Network on their cable networks.

On ESPN’s NFL Live, Sal Paolantonio said “the NFL Network, just last Tuesday, filed a complaint with the FCC against the Comcast Corporation for discrimination.  They want those NFL Network games to go on the regular tier.”  Because they’re dealing with the federal government and because Specter is so close to Comcast, they need to tread lightly lest the league make more of a mess for itself in Washington.

Paolantonio also said that part of the reason Specter made a public plea for the outside investigation is that Senator Patrick Leahy, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, balked at holding Senate hearings on Spygate.  That leaves a Mitchell Report-type investigation as the likely outlet for Specter’s concerns.

That raises another question.  The Mitchell Report investigated all of baseball for steroid use, shouldn’t a similar investigation into cheating in the NFL go beyond the Patriots to find out how many teams are guilty?

If reports racing around the country are to be believed, the Dallas Cowboys will only have themselves to blame if they fall short of a championship this season.

Get your hankies ready for it seems Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson’s relationship is no more.  TMZ reported the news late yesterday and Alan Peppard of the Dallas Morning News has done some digging of his own to find that the first couple of football have called the whole thing off.

As long as Romo doesn’t let new teammate Pacman Jones take him out to drown his sorrows, the Cowboys, and I dare say the entire world, will be able to move forward without much difficulty.

Patriots owner Bob Kraft doesn’t sound like he’s holding a grudge against the Boston Herald.

The Herald issued a front-page apology today for its story citing an anonymous source who said the Patriots videotaped the Rams’ 2002 Super Bowl walk-through, saying, “While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.”

Kraft was asked about that apology today, and he sounded relieved and not litigious.

“I must compliment the Boston Herald for doing what is unprecedented in terms of recognizing their error in a major way,” Kraft told the Associated Press.  “I’m really delighted with that, but I wish it never happened.”

Kraft added,  “I think I speak for all Patriot fans.  We’re relieved that this is over and you see that this is nonsense and we were unfairly accused and we’re moving on. . . .  The erroneous story really led to a second round of inquisitions after September, and it really was a distraction.  The sad part [is] that it took away from an 18-0 Super Bowl season.”

Kraft’s comments came before Sen. Arlen Specter said he wants an independent investigation of the Patriots’ taping activities; a Patriots spokesman said the team had no immediate response to Specter’s suggestion.

Bengals wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are skipping the team’s off-season workouts, and both are apparently unhappy with their contracts.

But their quarterback, Carson Palmer, isn’t concerned about having a pair of starting receivers missing in action.

“My frustration level? I’m at zero right now,” Palmer said, per the Dayton Daily News.  ”I’m not frustrated at all.  I’m happy and excited to be back on the field myself, whether they’re here or not.  I’m excited to be back with these guys, the guys that are here.”

Still, Palmer added that “We’re definitely missing valuable time.  We’ll get to work whenever they get here.”

The real question, though, is whether Palmer’s receivers will ever get there at all.  Houshmandzadeh appears prepared to show up to training camp, but Johnson has said he has no desire ever to play in Cincinnati again.  And given the way he’s reacted to everything else coming out of Cincinnati this offseason, Johnson may decide to interpret Palmer’s latest comments as an insult and a further reason to want out.

The Cowboys have moved LB Bobby Carpenter all over the place to try to get some production out of him.

The Dolphins are already negotiating contracts with their late-round picks.

A new Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility rule could affect when and whether Bill Parcells gets inducted.

Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo’s supportive comments toward Cedric Benson remind at least one observer of the time Angelo said, “We believe in Tank Johnson, bottom line.”

After most Lions fans renewed their season tickets, Chief Operating Officer Tom Lewand said, “The loyalty that our fans have shown is nothing short of phenomenal.”

Police say no foul play was involved in the death of former Panthers C Curtis Whitley.

Brett Favre and Bart Starr will be presenters at the Packers Hall of Fame induction banquet.

The Bengals are happy to have RBs Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry on the field at the same time.

The Vikings are negotiating to buy property in the area that would surround their proposed new stadium.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel says he has big plans for LB Willie McGinest this season.

The Falcons are ready to go into the season with the defensive tackles they have.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank is described as “obsessed” with the team’s public image, which has taken hits related to Michael Vick, Michael Boley and other incidents.

Count Steelers owner Dan Rooney and coach Mike Tomlin among those who think Spygate is over.

Some Steelers fans are already thinking about the 2009 free agent class.

The Saints have big questions about who will play running back for them in 2008.

Said Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio of a voluntary activity that 58 of 84 players participated in, “The energy was outstanding. It’s what we’re going to need.”

Said Jaguars DE Brian Smith of knowing the team is waiting for him to get healthy, “I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.”

The Rams will have training camp at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin.

Said Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger of addressing his new players, “I told the guys from the beginning:  I don’t care what you’ve done in the past.  If you make plays then you have a chance to be on board.”

In addition to his job as an ESPN commentator, former Bronco Mark Schlereth sells a product called “Stinkin” Good Green Chili.”

Said Seahawks LB Lofa Tatupu of his DUI arrest, “This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again.”

The NFL tried to close the door on Spygate yesterday but Arlen Specter’s foot has gotten in the way and guaranteed it will go on.  At a press conference in Washington, the Pennsylvania Senator said that “after a lot of consideration, it’s my judgment that there ought to be an impartial investigation, an outside investigation” into the entire affair.

He cited the Mitchell Report as a guideline for what kind of investigation he’d like to see take place and said he was particularly upset to learn that an attorney for the Patriots was present during the questioning of Matt Walsh.  Specter believes it “strains credulity to say that sort of practice is objective or impartial.”  He also said that Roger Goodell appears to be caught in a “conflict of interest.”

He said he would give the league several months to begin their own outside investigation before Congress would take action and isn’t going to be sending out investigators.

Specter’s interest was first piqued when the Patriots played the Eagles in November and he learned that the NFL had destroyed the tapes seized during the Jets game that touched this whole thing off.  He described himself as “incensed” about the destruction of materials but stopped short of saying a cover-up had taken place.

The battle to replace Chris Clemons on the right side of the Oakland defensive line got another combatant Tuesday when the team signed Greg Spires.  Spires, late of the Buccaneers, will compete with Kalimba Edwards, Jay Richardson and rookie Trevor Scott to provide pass rushing balance for Derrick Burgess.

Spires missed six games in 2007 with a calf injury and has amassed 39.5 career sacks during his decade in the NFL.  He started every game he played for the Bucs until last season, including their Super Bowl victory against his new employers.  No financial terms have been disclosed but it’s safe to say that he won’t be making Gibril Wilson money.

To make room for Spires on the roster, the Raider released Duane Starks. Starks, once the 10th pick in the draft, was signed a month ago and this makes three straight years that the team’s had him and released him.  Since he’s only played in three games over that time, I assume it’s his lovely singing voice as opposed to his ability as a corner that keeps him in Al Davis’s thoughts.

Brian Urlacher continued his media tour by chatting with Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune, who didn’t credit Michael Silver of Yahoo! for the initial scoop, about his plans to skip minicamp.  And roughly $8,000 in fines isn’t going to be enough to shake Urlacher into changing his mind.

“Yeah, it would bug me to get fined, but it’s my choice,” he said. “Unless something happens [with the contract] between now and then, I won’t be there.”

Urlacher’s got every right to ask for more money but it’s hard to find much about his complaints to agree with.  He signed a nine-year contract and then uses a rise in the salary cap as part of his rationale for wanting a new deal.  What did he think would happen over the course of a decade?  He either got bad advice or misunderstood the nature of a contract, either way that’s his own fault.

His other gripe, the right of a team to cut a player if they don’t perform, is a long-standing issue in the CBA between the league and the players.  It should be revisited, but Urlacher and others need to realize their signing bonuses will have to come down as a result, because that’s what they get for giving up guaranteed money down the road.

The Bears made a reasonable offer to Urlacher, a $5 million bonus with $1 million per year through reachable playing time incentives and one more year tacked on with $9 million base salary, and he rejected it.  My guess is he wants more up front because he’s worried about making it through the life of the contract.

Urlacher says he’s healthy, “my neck is not an issue, my back is sweet,” but those are both injuries that have a nasty habit of coming back.  It doesn’t make any sense for the Bears to take on that risk by issuing a larger signing bonus, though it would help explain why Urlacher wants all that money right now.

Kellen Winslow and LeCharles Bentley were both no-shows at the voluntary Browns minicamp yesterday and neither is expected to show today.  They have very different reasons for skipping out and very different levels of import for the Browns in 2008.

We’ll take the easy one first.  Bentley is still rehabbing the knee injury that cost him the 2007 season and hasn’t taken a physical.  He can’t practice until he does and if he’s not ready to pass it, there’s little reason for him to take it.  The Browns are deep on the offensive line and if Bentley can’t make it back, it wouldn’t appear to be a major setback for the team.

Winslow, on the other hand, looms large in their plans.  He’s been rehabbing his surgically repaired knee at home in San Diego but there’s talk that he’s also looking to re-do his contract which has three years left.  Drew Rosenhaus had no comment when the Plain Dealer called to ask him about Winslow’s whereabouts but G.M.  Phil Savage said the team’s paying Winslow fairly and didn’t indicate a willingness to revisit his pact.

Given his injury history, Winslow wouldn’t seem to have much leverage just yet but turning in another 80-catch, 1,000-yard campaign would likely get him the new deal he craves.  Braylon Edwards is also agitating for a new contract so the Browns will have to do a delicate balancing act to avoid upsetting one or both men as they address the demands over the next couple of years.

The Cincinnati Bengals made a big announcement at their first offseason practice on Tuesday.  For a change, it had nothing to do with an addition to the team’s prison auxiliary.

Marvin Lewis told the Cincinnati Enquirer that “we’re installing a new defense.”  Mike Zimmer, Lewis’s third defensive coordinator with the Bengals, will be in charge of the installation.

Ahmad Brooks practiced as the strong side, as opposed to middle, linebacker but little else is known about the new scheme.  We can surmise, then, that Odell Thurman, who was absent because of his grandmother’s death, will return to the middle after being reinstated from his two-year suspension.  If Thurman’s able to shake off the rust and Brooks is able to avoid suspension, they should team with rookie Keith Rivers and give the Bengals a solid linebacking corps to build around in 2008.

While Lewis was light on other details about the new look, he did say they will remain a four-lineman base and Zimmer said it will blend what the Bengals have done with what he did in Atlanta last season.  Based on last season, that should add up to the French army at the Maginot Line but perhaps the sum will be greater than the parts.

It’s been a long, drawn-out process but Greg Wesley’s departure from Kansas City seems imminent.  The Kansas City Star reports that the team’s told the safety that if they couldn’t trade him before their minicamp begins on June 6, they would release him.

Wesley started 102 games for the Chiefs between 2000 and 2006 before being relegated to a reserve role in 2007.  He asked the team to trade him or release him in March and, with no trade avenues on the horizon, it looks like he’ll be granted the latter wish.  He told the Star that he’s “not worried about getting a job.  They’re just waiting for me to be released.”

The Chiefs, meanwhile, will go with Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard at the safety spots with third-rounder DaJuan Morgan challenging for a role.  As a team firmly in the throes of rebuilding, it would have been nice if they’d pulled the trigger on a rumored deal with Denver that would have netted them a fourth-rounder in April but, either way, it’s time to move on from a player that’s not going to be part of the next good team in K.C.

It’s previously been reported that Browns cornerback Kenny Wright was arrested in April, after a man whose job security is premised in part on his speed lost a footrace with police.

Previously, however, Wright was charged with marijuana possession, as part of a March 1 traffic stop.

(Per the rules of Turd Watch, the disclosure of this incident more than a week after it happened results in a re-set of the “Days without an Arrest” counter to zero.)

The bigger question for Wright is whether he promptly disclosed the incident to the team, as mandated by the Personal Conduct Policy.  Browns G.M. Phil Savage told the Akron Beacon Journal that the team is aware of the March incident; the timing of the team’s awareness could be the key to the extent of the discipline imposed on Wright by the league.

Pacman Jones’ one-year suspension resulted in part from his failure to report to the Titans or to the league charges that had been filed against him in 2006 for allegedly biting a cop on the hand.  Jones has since pleaded no contest to a felony in connection with that incident.

At a time when most are eulogizing Spygate, the NFL hasn’t yet dropped the casket into the ground.

Per the New York Daily News, the league plans to re-interview former Pats (and current Jets) receivers coach Brian Daboll in the wake of the Tuesday interview of Matt Walsh.

Walsh told Goodell that Walsh was in the Superdome for the Rams’ walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, and that Walsh shared with Daboll a couple of the things Walsh saw.

That’s different from what Daboll previously told the league.

“What Matt Walsh told us was inconsistent with our prior understanding,” league spokesman Greg Aiello told the Daily News in an e-mail.  “Brian Daboll did not tell us that.”

Before Tuesday, it wasn’t widely known that Walsh and other Patriots employees were in the Superdome at the time of the Rams’ walk-through.  It remains to be seen whether the Rams knew about it.

If the Rams didn’t know, why didn’t they know?  If the Rams did know, why in the hell did they conduct a walk-through with enemy combatants in the building?

And though it’s now being widely reported that there was no videotape, we think that more information needs to come out regarding who from the Patriots was in the Superdome, what they were doing, and what they weren’t doing.

Though we have no desire to step into the shoes of the Boston Herald on this subject, we think that the NFL and/or the Patriots need to quickly and clearly provide the media with enough evidence to rule out any type of electronic memorialization of the walk-through — either by video, still photos, or a guy talking into a hand-held tape recorder.

Otherwise, some folks will continue to carry around a nagging feeling that something happened back in February 2002 that shouldn’t have happened.

There was much information to receive and digest on Tuesday after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met for more than three hours with former Patriots employee Matt Walsh.  There still might be more to receive and digest once we hear from Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) about his own session with Walsh, and once we hear directly from Walsh.

For now, though, Sal Paolantonio of ESPN aptly summarized on the air on Tuesday night the critical new information we’ve learned.

First, Walsh says he was told to conceal his practice of videotaping defensive coaching signals.  This directly contradicts coach Bill Belichick’s explanation that he merely misunderstood the rules.  Goodell scoffed at the notion that Belichick should be subject to new punishment based on this disclosure, explaining that Goodell didn’t believe Belichick’s explanation in the first instance.

Still, the message is obvious.  Belichick, by all appearances, lied about his interpretation of the rules.  Presumably, Goodell’s punishment of Belichick (via a $500,000 fine) was influenced by the coach’s decision to offer up a flimsy excuse for his behavior.

Second, Walsh told Goodell that the tapes were turned over to football savant Ernie Adams.  This raises real questions about the team’s contention that the value of the tapes was minimal.

Third, Walsh said that he was told that the taping system was designed to focus on divisional opponents (the Bills, the Jets, and the Dolphins).  This reinforces the notion that the tapes weren’t used for in-game adjustments, and proves to us that there’s at least one person at ESPN whose head isn’t currently residing in his rectum when it comes to the question of whether the Pats were turning the tapes around and using them in the same game in which the raw footage was being harvested.

Of course, we also learned that there was no videotape of the Rams’ walk-through prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, thanks to Walsh and to the Boston Herald, which wisely retracted its February 2 story after Walsh’s version of the events was shared with us by Goodell.

In a stunning but not surprising move, the Boston Herald has apologized to the New England Patriots for the February 2 report that the Patriots videotaped the walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.

“While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible,” the newspaper writes, ”we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.

“Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had.   We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification.”

“The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots’ owners, players, employees and fans for our error.”

Wow.

In our view, the timing of the story implicitly confirms that former Pats video employee Matt Walsh was the source of the story, despite the recent denial issued by his lawyer, Michael Levy.  If Walsh wasn’t the source, why would the disclosure from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that Walsh didn’t tape the walk-through, is aware of no tape, and knows of no one who made such a tape prompt the about-face?

The only other possible explanation is that the actual source of the Herald story coincidentally called John Tomase on May 13 and explained that the information was incorrect.

Though plenty of Pats fans will (continue to) call for Tomase to be fired, the real culprit here, in our view, is the person who (as we believe the facts to be) previously told Tomase that the story couldn’t run with Walsh as an unnamed source, and who then changed his/her mind dramatically once it appeared that the New York Times and ESPN.com were close to getting Walsh to crack.

Despite the apology (which doesn’t use the word “retraction” but which operates as one), the Patriots could still sue the Herald for defamation.  And the Pats would be entitled, if successful, to full compensation for the damage to the franchise that was done as a result of the false story.

Given the widespread play that the article received and in light of its timing, a fair verdict easily could involve a dollar sign followed by eight figures.

Once upon a time (i.e., five or six years ago), June 1 was a big date on the NFL calendar.  It was the start of a second wave of free agency, with a new crop of veteran free agents released by their teams.

It’s no longer as big of a deal, but it’s important for a different reason.

PFTV has the whole story.

We’re rolling out our PFTV segments for the week, and we’re taking another look at the highest-profile free agent who currently doesn’t have a job.

Running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL’s MVP in 2005.

Here’s where things currently stand for him.

Though most first-round rookies typically don’t sign contracts until after the Fourth of July, the Ravens are already working on a deal with their first-round pick, quarterback Joe Flacco.

Per James Walker of ESPN.com, agent Joe Linta arrived in Baltimore on Sunday night, and spent Monday negotiation the parameters of a five-year deal.

“They want him in and he wants to be in,” Linta said. “So the sooner that you start talking, the better chance you have of finishing before the deadline.”

As Walker points out, the two quarterbacks taken in round one of the 2007 involved two of the most contentious sets of contract talks.  Even if Flacco gets signed, we doubt that the deal will be an easy one between the Falcons and Tom Condon of CAA for quarterback Matt Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick — primarily because Condon knows that the Falcons can ill afford to have a holdout from the new face of the franchise.

Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia still isn’t happy that he hasn’t gotten a new contract.  And he’s not bashful about saying so.

Various media reports indicate that Garcia is chirping about the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the Bucs in 2007. 

“[The Bucs] have indicated to my agent that they’d be working something out or trying to work something out, but it’s at a snail’s pace it seems right now,” said Garcia.  “I have one year left on my contract. At the rate it’s going who knows if it will actually happen before the season starts.”

He hinted at a possible boycott of offseason workouts.  He also hasn’t ruled out skipping an upcoming mandatory minicamp or training camp.

“There might be a time when I have to stand up,” he said.  “I hate to do that to jeopardize my teammates because they’re out here and I don’t want to let them down in any sort of way.  But I think at some point, you just want to see the respect [from] up top given.” 

Though Garcia is currently talking as if he’ll attend training camp, he vaguely suggested that his contractual status could affect his performance.  “I’m under center [when training camp begins].  But after a while it does start to play with you mentally.  This is a physical game and you want players to go out and give everything they have and lay their bodies on the line and lay their hearts on the line.  ‘ Well, we want you to lay something on the line, too.’  That’s what it really comes down to.”

Garcia also politicked for running back Earnest Graham, who is staying away from voluntary workouts because (as we’ve heard it) he wants to be paid like Frank Gore.  “There are a few players on this team that I believe should be rewarded,” Garcia said. “One of those guys isn’t here with us right now and I don’t know if [his contract] is the reason.  Earnest Graham had a spectacular year last year.  In no way do I or anyone else on this team feel that was a fluke, but yet he’s stuck on the bottom and he’s a guy that we all believe as teammates and players in this business that should be rewarded.  I don’t think anybody here is trying to break the bank.  It’s about what your peers around the league are making and being respected and appreciated in that sort of way.”

The problem for the Bucs is that they still have $29 million in 2008 cap room.  Thus, players like Garcia and Graham are going to want some of it, if it doesn’t get spent on new players.

When the Baltimore Ravens applied the franchise tag to Terrell Suggs, they described him as a linebacker.  But Suggs claimed that he’s actually a defensive end, which would have resulted in a higher one-year salary for the 2008 season.

The difference was more than $800,000.

So Suggs filed a grievance.  And the grievance has been resolved via the creation of a new designation for franchise tag purposes – defensive end-linebacker.

We like the idea, and we think it’s fair to both sides.

Former NFL running back Troy Hambrick, who played for the Cowboys and the Cardinals, has been sentenced to five years for selling crack cocaine.

Hambrick reportedly sold the drug to confidential informants outside of Tampa, Florida.  He pleaded guilty to one count in February 2008.

He rushed for a career-high 972 yards in 2003 for the Cowboys.

In a Tuesday afternoon interview with WEEI in Boston, Pats quarterback Tom Brady addressed the harping of former NFL players in the media about the videotaping of defensive coaching signals.

Asked one the hosts:  “Does it surprise you some of the former players who are in the media now who just seem to be clueless about this whole thing?  I’m stunned by it.”

Said Brady:  “It’s just kind of the environment right now, though.  I think that’s the way that guys make it.  They just say the craziest things. . . .  That’s what ESPN has become.”

We agree with Brady.  And we were amazed by the insistence of guys like former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth that the videotapes created by Matt Walsh were used in the same game.  Any moron (even Schlereth) could see that the final product was the result of an editing process that made the thing easier to watch.  It would simply be too cumbersome to forward and/or rewind through the raw tape during the three total hours of a game (including a 12-minute halftime) to make any use out of this information in the second half.

Moreover, if the purpose of the taping was only to use it in the same game, why did the taping continue into the second half?

The bottom line?  Schlereth is part of the ESPN agenda aimed at making some/any story out of this matter.  Since there was no videotaping of the Rams’ walk-through prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, the media needs to talk about something else.

And so Schlereth and others are yammering about the videotaped signals being used for in-game adjustments, and pondering how that diminishes the Pats’ run of success this decade.

Meanwhile, Schlereth hasn’t once mentioned the tarnish on his own pair of Super Bowl rings because the Broncos cheated on the salary cap from 1996 through 1998.  Though the cause-and-effect as it relates to the on-field product isn’t as obvious, circumventing the cap in order to avoid having to cut a veteran and replace him with a street free agent results in a higher quality team.

Indeed, let’s consider this quote from Schlereth, which he offered up on ESPN Radio on Tuesday afternoon:  “This besmirches to the organization to the point where regardless of how you look at these three championships that they’ve won over the last seven, eight years you will still always look at them and say ‘Yeah, but . . . they had this Spygate thing, how much of it was inappropriate, how much cheating went on, and how much did it help them during the course of some of those games?”

Now, let’s revise it a bit, and apply it to Schlereth’s Broncos:   “This besmirches to the organization to the point where regardless of how you look at these [two] championships that they’ve won over the [two] years you will still always look at them and say ‘Yeah, but . . . they had this [salary cap] thing, how much of it was inappropriate, how much cheating went on, and how much did it help them during the course of some of those games?” 

Frankly, we think we prefer an intellectually honest guy who can’t talk all that well (i.e., Emmitt Smith) to a former player who looks and sounds good as the horsesh-t is flowing from his mouth.

So, ESPN, we rescind our request that you fire Emmitt.  But we beg you to fire Schlereth.  Now.

It’s now official — Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been arrested for driving under the influence.

(Apparently, when he was at USC with Matt Leinart, no one told Lofa that alcoholic beverages were intended only to be given to allegedly underage girls.)

The arrest came on Saturday morning.  Tatupu was pulled over for driving 50 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.

Titans running back LenDale White revealed today that he played the entire 2007 season on an injured knee — a knee that he says feels fine after he took part in today’s organized team activities.

“This happened last year in preseason. I tore my meniscus,” White said today, per Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper. “I played on it all season. Contrary to what people believe, I am a soldier. I played on it all year and I didn’t complain, not once. I waited until the season was over to get it fixed and now I’m feeling good.”

White started all 16 games in 2007 and played in the Titans’ first-round playoff loss before having arthroscopic surgery in January. He carried 304 times for 1,108 yards, and he now says he was doing it with a knee that hampered him.

“It affected me a lot, because it took me a long time to get warmed up. It was catching a lot and it hurt on certain days,” White said. “When we played San Diego, it was hurting bad. I came in and tried to put Ben Gay on it and Flexall 454, and I tried to get it warmed up as best I could. But now, I’m back and it’s 100 percent and it feels good.”

As he heads into his third NFL season, White is expected to be the Titans’ starter again this year. But the addition of first-round running back Chris Johnson means he’s likely to get fewer carries in 2008 than he had in 2007, which might help him stay healthy.

Staying healthy would also help White battle the weight problems he has had in the past. Coach Jeff Fisher said the knee injury appears to be affecting White’s conditioning, and the Titans’ coaches have said they would like White to play at around his listed weight of 235 pounds, a target weight he typically hasn’t been able to reach.

A year or so ago, our writing staff grew by 100 percent, with the addition of Michael David Smith, whose other assignments include AOL’s FanHouse, FootballOutsiders.com, our own CollegeFootballTalk.com, the New York Sun, and most recently the Fifth Down blog on the New York Times web site.

We’re now expanding by 50 percent, at least on a trial basis, with the addition of Josh Alper.  Josh covers pro baseball (zzzzzz) and the NFL for FanHouse, and he’ll be helping out on the days when my day job actually requires the expenditure of effort in the daytime hours.

Josh is scheduled to get started on Wednesday morning, and you’ll see his stuff from time to time as we attempt to keep the site full of content, if order to minimize the “did you die?” e-mails that I inevitably receive if/when more than two hours pass without a new story being posted. 

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that Matt Walsh was not the person who videotaped defensive coaching signals of the Patriots-Chargers game from 2002.

Walsh was no longer working in the video department at the time.

The source reached out to us in this regard, and possibly will be reaching out to others in the media as well.  The apparent reason for the clarification in this regard is that the video contains some gratuitous close-up shots of the Chargers cheerleaders “performing” a routine, which might have gotten Mr. Walsh in hot water with Mrs. Walsh.

The much-anticipated press conference of Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who was planning to meet with the media after meeting with former Pats employee Matt Walsh this afternoon, has been postponed.

The press conference instead will occur tomorrow.

“The meeting started late and the duration is anticipated to go a long time,” Specter’s spokesperson, Kate Kelly, said.

Perhaps the meeting is running late because Specter keeps asking the same question over and over to Walsh, who according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has no new evidence of cheating by the Patriots.

“Are you sure?”

KJR radio in Seattle reportedly is reporting that Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu was arrested on Friday for driving under the influence.

Per the report, Tatupu blew a 0.15 percent BAC, which is typically the level at which a guy is too drunk to realize that he should refuse to submit to testing.

If true, our “Days without an Arrest” meter will re-set from “09″ to “04″.

Tatupu signed earlier this year a long-term, big-money extension.  Hopefully, he’ll spend less of that money on booze in the future.