ESPN Offers Lame Apology To Patriots In The Middle Of The Night

ESPN aired an apology for false reporting a story multiple times on their airwaves, but aired that apology overnight on Sportscenter. 

According to YouTube publisher Aaron Mandelbaum, ESPN aired an apology to the New England Patriots for consistently referencing a false report that the Patriots had illegally filmed a walkthrough of the St. Louis Rams prior to the Super Bowl in 2002. That report, leaked by NFL sources, has been proven to have no validity.

ESPN anchors and insiders have continually referenced the incident when pointing to the Patriots "culture of cheating" during Deflategate segments. Problem is, that report has been repeatedly discounted by valid news sources.

ESPN choosing the overnight hours to air this apology is peculiar and consistent with what seems to be a pro-NFL stance the network is taking in the Deflategate debate. ESPN has been at the center of faulty reporting on Deflategate, as insider Chris Mortensen was the first to report that the Patriots footballs in the AFC championship game were 2 pounds under the allowed limit. That report has also proven to be false.

What do you think? Is ESPN's overnight apology fair or just an easy way out?