NFL close to deal for Walsh

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1079129

NFL close to deal for Walsh
By John Tomase
Monday, March 10, 2008

Both the NFL and the attorney for former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh last night said the two sides are approaching an agreement that would allow Walsh to reveal what he knows about the team’s taping practices.

The NFL said in a statement that during the last week the two sides, “have made substantial progress toward an agreement that will allow Mr. Walsh to be interviewed. Both sides are optimistic that any remaining issues can be addressed successfully and they are committed to reaching a full agreement as promptly as possible.”

Michael Levy, Walsh’s Washington-based attorney, e-mailed a statement that expressed optimism a deal could be struck. Neither side laid out a timetable.

“I have consistently asked the NFL to provide appropriate legal protections for Mr. Walsh,” Levy wrote. “In recent discussions I have had with the League’s lawyer, we have made substantial progress toward this end, and I am hopeful that we will be able to craft an agreement with the necessary legal protections so Mr. Walsh can come forward with the truth.”

The Pats employed Walsh from 1996-2003, when he was fired for secretly recording conversations, team exec Scott Pioli told the Boston Globe.

Walsh has suggested in published reports that he has information that could potentially prove embarrassing to the Pats and the NFL. The league has been trying to craft an indemnification agreement that would allow him to speak about his time with the team and provide material related to its videotaping practices.

“If I ever got brought in for a deposition or something, then I would just face the whole gauntlet of questions,” Walsh told the New York Times in February. “There would be things I’d be forced to answer that some people haven’t taken responsibility for.”

The Herald reported on Feb. 2 that a Patriots employee filmed the Rams’ walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, though it was unclear if the coaches viewed the material or if the employee acted on his own. The Patriots and the league have denied the allegations.

Levy declined comment last month when asked about the walkthrough.

Walsh did the same when asked by ESPN.com.