It’s cheating. It’s the Patriots. And it is by no means the first time.
Could you list all these other times the coaching staff cheated?
It’s a poorly written and poorly enforced rule that has no real logic to it. The NFL really needs to answer why the PSI range is so small, what real advantage do they think come from being half a pound outside that range. And they need to explain why if this rule is so important balls spend so much time in team control after their supposed inspection. And if they suspend Brady they need to explain how his infraction is different from when Fox’s camera recorded the Viking and Panthers heating their balls on the sidelines and their only punishment was letters from the league.
Not all rules are made equally, and this one is pretty weak.