Former New England Patriots assistant coach/video flunky Matt Walsh is going to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to perhaps, perhaps not, spill more beans on the Pats surreptitiously taping practices or game play signals of other NFL teams.
Circle May 13 on your sports calendars.
And Walsh looks like he has an ironclad immunity clause, although (see below) the Pats dispute that he has ever needed such a clause in the first place:
“Commissioner Goodell will meet with Mr. Walsh … on May 13, the earliest date that Mr. Walsh, who lives in Hawaii, will be available on the East Coast,” the NFL statement said. “The agreement also requires Mr. Walsh to return any tapes and other items in his possession that belong to the Patriots. In return, the NFL and the Patriots have promised not to sue Mr. Walsh. They also will indemnify him for any expenses, including legal fees that he incurs in connection with the interview.”
As NFL fans know, of course, the allegation is out there that the Pats videotaped a St. Louis Rams walk-through practice the day before the 2002 Super Bowl, which the Pats won, 20-17.
Meanwhile, the Pats’ office is throwing out the spinmeister line that Walsh never had any breach of confidentiality lawsuit to fear:
“It is important to note that there has never been a confidentiality agreement restricting Matt Walsh, and no legal protections were ever necessary for him to speak to the NFL, to media outlets or to anyone else regarding his employment with the Patriots,” the team’s statement said. “Walsh has been granted a significant number of privileges through this agreement, none of which the Patriots or the NFL were obligated to give.”
Methinks Bob Kraft and his minions doth protest too much.
Two other parts of the agreement are also noteworthy.
One, Walsh cannot speak to any third party between now and May 13. That means YOU, Sen. Arlen Specter.
And, the other, that will have conspiracy theorists salivating, is that Walsh must turn over to Goodell all materials in his possession by May 8. If I’m his attorney, Michael Levy, I’m making me a backup copy or two.
So, it’s time to again pull out my polls about Pats head coach Bill Belichick and 2002 Rams quarterback and Wheaties face Kurt Warner:
And, if Belichick is guilty:
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