With the stink of SpyGate, the ensuing cover-up from Roger Goodell and the destruction of evidence that prompted an actual congressional investigation ever-lingering on the New England Patriots’ three Super Bowl titles, reports surfaced that the team might have been caught cheating again. This time by deflating footballs used in their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship.
Deflated footballs are easier to throw and catch in poor weather. Indianapolis Colts beat writer Bob Kravitz broke the story on Twitter Sunday night.
Breaking: A league source tells me the NFL is investigating the possibility the Patriots deflated footballs Sunday night. More to come.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) enero 19, 2015
According to NFL rules, a football must be inflated between 12.5-13.5 points per square inch and weigh 14-15 ounces. Footballs are examined before each game to make sure they meet the rule so if the Patriots did cheat by deflating their footballs, it would have been after the officials checked and approved the footballs.
If the Patriots did cheat, they could once again lose draft picks as they did during SpyGate. There’s no word yet on any possible fines or other recompense.
For his part Tom Brady, who would have been complicit in the cheating because at this point he knows what a properly inflated football feels like, said in a radio interview, “I think I’ve heard it all at this point… It’s ridiculous. I don’t even respond to stuff like that.”
Which is a response, really.
What difference would the easier to catch and throw balls have made in a 45-7 blow out? Well, they certainly didn’t help New England’s defense tackle the Colts offensive players and pick off Andrew Luck’s passes. The Patriots had a dominating defensive performance to be sure.
What it likely did was make their offense dominating as well. Instead of going up 14-0 early in the game, would it have made a difference if, with regular harder to throw and catch footballs, the Patriots led 6-0 instead? Ask the Packers.
