By: Joe Strupp Two days after The Boston Herald apologized on Page One to the New England Patriots for wrongly reporting that the team filmed an opponent's practice, the staff writer of the incorrect story offered his own front page explanation of the incident.
John Tomase, who wrote the Feb. 2, 2008, story that claimed the Patriots had filmed a walk-through practice in 2002 prior to Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams (thus violating NFL rules), admitted in a first-person story Friday that he relied on poor sourcing, never saw the film in question, and should have further questioned his sources.
"No one forced me to write that story, and it?s important to note I do not believe I was ever lied to. I believe my sources intended to provide accurate information, and it was incumbent on me to vet it more fully," he wrote in the Page One piece in Friday's paper. "The Patriots deserved more time to investigate and respond.
"What happens from here? I intend to continue covering the Patriots to the best of my abilities, and that means pursuing every storyline, good or bad," he added. "I have relationships to mend within the organization and with my readers. The process of regaining your trust will not be an easy one."
Tomase's incorrect story appeared a day before the Patriots played in Super Bowl XLII, which they lost to the New York Giants.
Tomase's explanation did not indicate if he had been disciplined or would be punished in any way. Calls to Herald editors were not immediately returned Friday morning.
The entire story can be found
here.
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