Yeah, if the ball is too deflated, throwing a spiral is harder.
But we’re not talking about too deflated here.
From my understanding most QBs like it on the softer side; some, on the fuller side.
The QBs probably regularly try to get slightly under-inflated balls through, and the refs may be used to them being used. But that’s different than a team deflating them after they’ve been checked and held by the refs.
If the Pats ball boys have been deflating them on the elevator ride from the refs’ office to the field in Foxboro, there supposedly should be video of that. Yeah, Tom Brady would have known about that and that the NFL had confiscated the security video from the elevator. So presumably that either didn’t happen or, quite unlikely, they knew the ball boy would be caught—and would take the fall for Tom.
If they can’t come up with any hard evidence, they may just bury the issue with a combination of Tom choosing slightly underinflated balls to submit to the refs and the cool and wet conditions during the game.
I’m still skeptical.
Like I said before, if a deflated football really gives the offense a quantifiable advantage, every defensive coordinator in the league would be demanding pressure measurements during, or after, the game.
I’ve been watching NFL football for almost 60 years, and the first time I heard about this issue was last week!