Report: NFL Finds Patriots Used Under-Inflated Balls
It appears the Colts were on to something when they informed the league they believed some of the balls used during Sunday's AFC Championship game were not fully inflated.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported late Tuesday night that 11 of the football the Patriots used were two pounds of air below the minimum requirement in their 45-7 rout of the Colts at Gillette Stadium. That win sent New England to its sixth Super Bowl since 2001. Pro Football Talk dug into the rulebook and said all NFL footballs must have 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI).
The officials inspect 12 footballs from each squad a few hours before the game, PFT says, and they likely would have noticed if they were two pounds below the standard weight. Logic would then lead you to believe New England doctored the footballs after the referees inspected them.
Indianapolis likely never would have realized it was even an issue had linebacker D’Qwell Jackson not picked off quarterback Tom Brady early in the second quarter. Bob Glauber of Newsday says that's what led to the league's investigation.
Coach Bill Belichick did not flatly deny the allegations but said Monday he had not heard anything about it until that morning. The players also acted as if it was the craziest thing they had ever heard. Quarterback Tom Brady said the allegations were "ridiculous."
It's not clear how the NFL might punish the Patriots for this violation, but it could lead to a loss of draft picks (as was the case in 2008, when the Pats lost a first-rounder in the wake of "Spygate") or possibly something even more severe.
It appears the Colts were on to something when they informed the league they believed some of the balls used during Sunday's AFC Championship game were not fully inflated.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported late Tuesday night that 11 of the football the Patriots used were two pounds of air below the minimum requirement in their 45-7 rout of the Colts at Gillette Stadium. That win sent New England to its sixth Super Bowl since 2001. Pro Football Talk dug into the rulebook and said all NFL footballs must have 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI).
The officials inspect 12 footballs from each squad a few hours before the game, PFT says, and they likely would have noticed if they were two pounds below the standard weight. Logic would then lead you to believe New England doctored the footballs after the referees inspected them.
Indianapolis likely never would have realized it was even an issue had linebacker D’Qwell Jackson not picked off quarterback Tom Brady early in the second quarter. Bob Glauber of Newsday says that's what led to the league's investigation.
Coach Bill Belichick did not flatly deny the allegations but said Monday he had not heard anything about it until that morning. The players also acted as if it was the craziest thing they had ever heard. Quarterback Tom Brady said the allegations were "ridiculous."
It's not clear how the NFL might punish the Patriots for this violation, but it could lead to a loss of draft picks (as was the case in 2008, when the Pats lost a first-rounder in the wake of "Spygate") or possibly something even more severe.
