Eleven of the dozen footballs used by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game were not inflated to NFL specifications, league sources have told ESPN, miring the team in controversy as they prepare for the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen first reported that the league had found 11 footballs were underinflated by 2lb of air per square inch. League regulations state that each game ball be inflated between 12.5-13.5lb PSI. Underinflated footballs can be easier for quarterbacks, running-backs and receivers to handle, especially in poor weather conditions like the downpour of rain and sleet that fell during the Patriots’ 45-7 drubbing of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The former Denver Broncos and New York Giants quarteback Danny Kanell explained on Twitter the difference inflation can make to a ball.
If u don't think deflating balls by lb or two makes a diff u don't know what u are talking about. Makes significant diff to pass/kick game
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) January 21, 2015
And makes an even bigger difference in colder weather -- when footballs are slick and pumped so full they feel like rocks - hard to grip
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) January 21, 2015
If found guilty, the Patriots could be fined or have draft picks taken off them.
On Monday, the NFL said it would investigate whether the Patriots had deliberately deflated footballs during the game, after a Colts equipment staffer noticed something strange about a ball intercepted by Indianapolis linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. Colts general manager Ryan Grigson notified an NFL official about the concern.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters on Monday that he first heard of the questions that morning. He said the team would “cooperate fully with whatever questions they ask us and whatever they want us to do”. During a weekly interview with a Boston sports station, quarterback Tom Brady called the accusations “ridiculous”.
Many questions remain unanswered by the NFL investigation, which will likely continue for several days. How the footballs became underinflated; whether referees examined them two hours before kickoff, as rules dictate; whether the footballs were underinflated below the minimum or maximum weight PSI; and why referees didn’t notice any differences between Patriots or Colts footballs mid-game are all pending areas of investigation.
The “Deflategate” story of 2015 threatens to further tarnish the otherwise brilliant legacy of Belichick and the Patriots, who have won three Super Bowls and 21 playoff games together. In 2007 the NFL caught members of the Patriots staff illegally videotaping the New York Jets practicing defensive signals, in a scandal dubbed “Spygate”. Belichick argued he had misinterpreted the rule, but the NFL fined him $500,000, took $250,000 from the team and stripped the Patriots of a first-round draft pick.
