Take it easy on Tomase

In my most recent column, I suggested that Herald reporter John Tomase's controversial story suggesting that the Patriots illegally videotaped the St. Louis Rams prior to Super Bowl XXXVI would be vindicated when former Patriots employee Matt Walsh meets with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next week.

Whoops! As the Globe's Mike Reiss reported today, the tapes Walsh will be turning over to the NFL won't include the pre-Super Bowl walk-through described in Tomase's piece.

Not surprisingly, Tomase is now taking plenty of heat. But over at Boston Daily, Paul Flannery argues against rushing to judgment:

Before everyone goes all Salem Witch Hunt on Tomase (probably too late), let’s remember that we don’t actually know who his source was. Last time we checked, there was more than one person who worked in the Patriots video department. Fans were shocked at the beating the team took in the national press when the story broke. It’s all conjecture! They don’t know the facts! So it’s beyond hypocritical to go after Tomase with the same venom here.

The taint of Spygate will linger with a lot of people. The coach, for flaunting the rules, columnists like Gregg Easterbrook for their reckless unfounded conspiracy claims, and no doubt it will stay with Tomase. How about we let this play out first.

This seems like sound advice.