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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Robert Kraft picked up the newspaper at his home Wednesday morning and was happy to see the front-page headline in big capital letters:
"SORRY, PATS"
The Patriots owner felt vindicated by the Boston Herald's apology after a season - and offseason - of reports the NFL's most successful franchise of the decade had spied on opponents.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell found no more wrongdoing by New England, which had been punished for taping New York Jets coaches in the 2007 season opener. Former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh produced no tape of a St. Louis Rams walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl while meeting with Goodell on Tuesday.
And the newspaper that first reported on Feb. 2 the existence of such a tape said it had made a mistake and apologized in headlines on the front and back pages and in a brief story.
"I think I speak for all Patriot fans," Kraft said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We're relieved that this is over and you see that this is nonsense and we were unfairly accused and we're moving on.
"From our point of view, it's the end."
Maybe not.
Later Wednesday, Sen. Arlen Specter issued a long statement detailing numerous instances of New England videotaping opponents, questioning the NFL probe and saying "an objective, thorough, transparent investigation is necessary."
Unless the league begins an independent investigation similar to the one that produced the Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball, "it will be up to Congress to get the facts and take corrective action," Specter's statement said.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no comment on the remarks from the Republican from Pennsylvania.
For Kraft, his happy day began before 7 a.m. when he saw the front-page headline that could have been a pleasant accompaniment to a nice breakfast.
"I try not to eat a nice breakfast," said Kraft, who works out at the Gillette Stadium weight room. "I have coffee and a bran muffin."
pinmonkey 
