John Tomase of the Boston Herald said he'd write a full mea culpa about his Spygate story for today in the Boston Herald. I expected it to be something short like 'I messed up, please don't kill me.'

But Tomase, to his immense credit, came out with what has to be the longest 'I screwed up' pieces in journalism history. Here's one tiny excerpt:

I already had been able to verify that a member of the team’s video staff had been setting up a camera at the walkthrough, but on the final, crucial point of whether the camera was actually rolling, I made a devastating leap of logic and assumed that’s what I was being told rather than confirming it explicitly. I considered the fact that it was taped unassailable.

And this is the exact point at which the story broke down.

In addition to the story, the Boston Herald has also let comments be put up about it, and as you can guess they're anything but kind.

It's not going to wash Mr. Tomase!!!!! You committed news falsification. There is no journalistic requirement to protect a source that provides a lie!!!!!!!!!! Maybe the government's witness protection program may provide you some shelter but Boston sports fans will not!!!!!!!!

Tomase is right, it is time to start rebuilding trust among his readers... in another city!

**** you fatman and **** you Boston Herald.

And those are some of the nicer ones. Anyway, I realize what Tomase did was an enormous mistake, but he certainly didn't hide behind the curtains. He definitely deserves credit for that.

He even says he's going to keep writing about the team. Good luck with that, John.

Meanwhile, I think the comments pretty much prove what I've always thought; that Boston sports fans take their sports way too seriously. And that they're all total assholes.

Tomase's Explanation [The Boston Herald]