Tomase provides his explanation

[RayClay]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

That should be a resignation letter. I assumed he had something, but he had zero.

I could see a lawsuit know.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

I disagree. Writers write and Editors edit.

This kid has a long history of being a loose canon. The senior management knew full well what they have on their hands with John Tomase.

The Generals are trying to get away with having only the Corporals walk the plank.

Don't forget, it WASN'T Tomase who wrote or green-lighted the Masserotti column yesterday. It wasn't Tomase who blared the headline "Not So Fast, Pats" on the FRONT PAGE yesterday.

He screwed up badly and should pay the consequences, but realize that the senior management of the Herald is fully behind this and are not green kids.

There was a movie about 15-20 years ago (a comedy) where one character kept going around saying "I'm sorry...No I'm not"

I keep thinking that is exactly what the Herald editors have said to us, their (former) readers. I don't know if anyone knows what movie this was in, but you get the idea.

 

[Hardboiled]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Point taken. But I think we can establish your Woodward/Bernstein/Bradlee reference doesn't fit here. Those people were legends, these people are morons.

And as important as this story was, it doesn't come close to amounting to Watergate and the downfall of a US President that altered this country's history.


I'd also bet he told his editors who his sources were, even if they were guaranteed anonymity in the paper. He would have to give his bosses background on them, what their credentials were, etc. to get them to go with an un-named source. That's pretty basic stuff, then again this is the Herald so who knows.

Sooner, I think you're missing the point of Shmessy's Watergate reference. It's the principle not the effect he is talking about.


As I mentioned in another post, JT is grandstanding when he writes about protecting his sources. He is, with unintentional comedy, trying to put himself into the Woodward/Bernstein arena.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Woodward and Bernstein were nobodies covering the Silver Spring Flower Festival in 1972. They were on the Watergate Break In story from the beginning because it was such n insignificant event (at the initial blush).

Believe it or not, John Tomase was a MUCH bigger deal than either of those two guys on the eve of SB 42.

With me not being in the area, you would know how big of a deal John Tomase was before this far better than I would. My history with him began when he started covering the team and ended in the wake of this fiasco.

My point is that as the Watergate story reached higher into the power structure of the administration it warranted a great deal more caution and attention to detail than a sports story, no matter how big it was.

But I think we can agree it would have been a better outcome for all parties involved at the Herald if they did things a little more by the book. If they had, someone else would have been left holding the bag and Tomase wouldn't have to worry about Logan Mankins stomping a mudhole in his ass first day of camp.

 

[shmessy]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

With me not being in the area, you would know how big of a deal John Tomase was before this far better than I would. My history with him began when he started covering the team and ended in the wake of this fiasco.

My point is that as the Watergate story reached higher into the power structure of the administration it warranted a great deal more caution and attention to detail than a sports story, no matter how big it was.

But I think we can agree it would have been a better outcome for all parties involved at the Herald if they did things a little more by the book. If they had, someone else would have been left holding the bag and Tomase wouldn't have to worry about Logan Mankins stomping a mudhole in his ass first day of camp.

I think we agree more than we disagree about this.

BTW, ironically, I live in the DC area - - so my familiarity with The Post/Bradlee/Woodward/Bernstein is actually greater than my familiarity with Tomase! Honestly, Woodward and Bernstein were practically stringers in 1972. Nobody could believe why Bradlee let them stay on the story instead of putting a grown up on it. Not only that, but the Washington Post wasn't what it became later, either. The Washington Star, only a few years earlier, had been the #1 paper.

Those guys BECAME legends, but at the time, they were probably regarded as less than Tomase and his editors.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Sooner, I think you're missing the point of Shmessy's Watergate reference. It's the principle not the effect he is talking about.


As I mentioned in another post, JT is grandstanding when he writes about protecting his sources. He is, with unintentional comedy, trying to put himself into the Woodward/Bernstein arena.

No I get his point but I also don't think he should skate on this either. He fed them crap, they made their decisions based on crap and not surprisingly crap got published.

Like I said, ultimately it was their call, but let's not completely ignore the role he had in getting the story published. What he wrote today makes it clear to me it was more significant than I previously thought.

 

[rhodeislandpatsfan]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

"My Bad" is not a good enough for the magnitude of this story. Spygate was barely spoken about SB week until his story, Now the fall-out feels ten-fold. He admitted he took a old rumour and backed it up with evidence he wanted to hear, he knew he was gambling but felt the risk would be worth the reward, the dice were rolled he lost and he needs to be punished. A suspension should be the minimum.

 

[shmessy]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

No I get his point but I also don't think he should skate on this either. He fed them crap, they made their decisions based on crap and not surprisingly crap got published.

Like I said, ultimately it was their call, but let's not completely ignore the role he had in getting the story published. What he wrote today makes it clear to me it was more significant than I previously thought.

To be clear, I too believe Tomase should not skate on this. I just believe he should not be the only one paying the piper. So far, THAT is what is happening. He's walking the plank alone.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

To be clear, I too believe Tomase should not skate on this. I just believe he should not be the only one paying the piper. So far, THAT is what is happening. He's walking the plank alone.

And to be clear, I think Tomase and the person who made the final call on running this story should be fired. They should all burn IMO.

 

[nowayback]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

vomit....disgusting...i actually feel worse after reading his explanation. what a worm he is

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Even Florio stayed up late for this, and was left scratching his head. He still wants to believe that Walsh was the source. But it doesn't make sense if Tomase was still trying to nail his story down AFTER the NYT outed him. Because at that point no way he was talking to a local and telling him something he wouldn't tell the big boys.


"Though we’re trying to give Tomase the benefit of the doubt on this one (something he didn’t give to the Patriots at the time he wrote the story), Tomase’s version of the events comes off as a second-by-second description of a train wreck. In the end, the train still wrecked; all that his story adds to it is the first-hand account of the screeching brakes and the flying glass.

And the engineer with his cranium buried in his caboose.

We can’t help but think that this is all part of a broader, and carefully calculated, P.R. effort aimed at ensuring that Tomase keeps his beat, and that various editors at the Herald keep their jobs.

After all, Tomase’s sharing of details provides a human context to the story of the story, and we think that someone in upper management at the Herald concluded that this would be a prudent way to generate sympathy for Tomase, in the hopes that everyone can move forward as if this never happened.

But we don’t think that can happen. There are too many flaws in the explanation."

http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

 

[patrickscribe]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Sorry, as a reporter these excuses don't fly.

Based on what he is saying the sources told him, he should not name them. He gave his word and they told him the truth: they had heard the rumor and conveyed it. Sources did not violate their agreement so Tomase should honor it.

The blame lies entirely with Tomase and his editors. Tomase had a responsibility to lay out in detail to his editors what the sources told him. This was a big story. So editors should have questioned him on exactly what the evidence was. Step by step. Piece by piece.

Based on what he knew, the story should have said that a camermaman was there. Then mention the rumors. Then note that he could have just been setting up for later and there is no confirmation of a tape and/or what the Patriots did with it.

When it's gray, say it's gray. Confirmation that a cameraman was there does give some evidence of something possibly being up. It's a sign that the rumors might be true. So write that. It's correct and if there was taping, he and the Herald would have reported part of it. But going beyond that is intolerable.

You NEVER report something as more true than you know it to be.



Tomase needs to be fired for lying to editors or editors need to go for not handling it well.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Sorry, as a reporter these excuses don't fly.

Based on what he is saying the sources told him, he should not name them. He gave his word and they told him the truth: they had heard the rumor and conveyed it. Sources did not violate their agreement so Tomase should honor it.

The blame lies entirely with Tomase and his editors. Tomase had a responsibility to lay out in detail to his editors what the sources told him. This was a big story. So editors should have questioned him on exactly what the evidence was. Step by step. Piece by piece.

Based on what he knew, the story should have said that a camermaman was there. Then mention the rumors. Then note that he could have just been setting up for later and there is no confirmation of a tape and/or what the Patriots did with it.

When it's gray, say it's gray. Confirmation that a cameraman was there does give some evidence of something possibly being up. It's a sign that the rumors might be true. So write that. It's correct and if there was taping, he and the Herald would have reported part of it. But going beyond that is intolerable.

You NEVER report something as more true than you know it to be.



Tomase needs to be fired for lying to editors or editors need to go for not handling it well.

Well said.

 

[Seymour93]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

That was not an apology, that was a three page long waste of space filled with more bullsh!t and self-pitying. Sorry, not good enough *******.

 

[Boston Jay]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

He needs to stop writing and just go the hell away.

 

[Willie Andrews23]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

This guy must have snapped.
THAT IS NO APOLOGY. I'm more offended now than I was before.

That was just 3 pages of babble. The Herald is sorry but they allow that as Porky's apology?
If you ask me he sounds arrogant about it and would still love to bag the Pats for something. JUDAS!!!!

 

[patsox23]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

John Tomase handled that with grace and honesty. Those of you who don't see this are truly limited in perspective and maturity. The fact that no one here is absolutely F-ing KILLING this guy's editor - far, FAR more culpable, but some of you are apparently much too simple-minded and uneducated to realize that - is a JOKE.

Grow up, people. The guy just gave a way more exhaustive explanation of what happened than you overreachers ever had any right to expect. He sacked up and took, and will take, whatever's coming to him. This kind of crap thread is exactly what's wrong not just with the site, but with the freakin' country.

Go listen to Rush and Hannity, and leave the rest of us in peace.

 

[Patjew]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

The hatred inside of me... it's GROWING.

I'd like to thank Tomase for making me feel smarter, more scrupulous and honorable than ever before. Simply by comparing myself to you, you really have helped improve my superiority complex, you fat ugly piece of trash loser, and I'd like to thank you for it.

 

[patsox23]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

This guy must have snapped.
THAT IS NO APOLOGY. I'm more offended now than I was before.

Honestly, I don't know what the Hell you people are reading. It's not an apology??? He threw himself on his sword OVER and OVER and OVER. He walked you through what HE DID WRONG and took responsibility for it. ************.

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: *****Alert: The Tomase Explanation Is Now Up

Dumbasse has disgraced himself and nothing short of a resignation should be considered acceptable. If he won't resign, he needs to be fired. Then, keep going up the chain to make sure everyone involved in deciding to print the 'article' gets the axe.

Dumbasse, as the writer who should have known he had no story, is the main culprit, but others need to go too.