Newspaper says Spygate story false, apologizes

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Herald has apologized for reporting that the New England Patriots videotaped a walkthrough by the St. Louis Rams one day before the two teams played in the Super Bowl in 2002.

In the apology, published in the newspaper’s Wednesday edition and posted on its Web site, the Herald said it now knows the report was inaccurate and that no tape ever existed.

The apology came one day after former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Walsh told Goodell he did not tape the walkthrough and had no knowledge of any other Patriots employees having done so.

The Herald’s Feb. 2 story, published one day before New England’s 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, was based on unidentified sources.