NFL investigating if Patriots used deflated footballs in AFC Championship game

FoxNews.com ^ | 1-19-2015 | Fox News

[servo1969]

The NFL has confirmed it is looking into charges the New England Patriots cheated Sunday night when they clinched a trip to the Super Bowl Sunday night by using deflated footballs.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the probe Monday, following the AFC championship game, in which the Patriots demolished the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. The charge was first made Sunday night, when an Indianapolis reporter that the NFL had seized at least one game ball from the AFC championship game to examine whether pigskins were intentionally deflated to make them easier to throw and catch.

“The NFL is investigating the possibility,” Bob Kravitz, of WTHR, tweeted, adding that, “at one point the officials took a ball out of play and weighed it.”

If the Patriots did cheat, it would not be the first time. The team was penalized a first-round draft pick, fined $250,000 and head coach Belichick was personally fined $500,000 after an investigation by the NFL determined the team had illegally videotaped their opponents hand signals during a 2007 game.

And unsubstantiated accusations of cheating have long dogged the team, stemming from their Super Bowl wins in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The St. Louis Rams claimed the team illegally videotaped their walk-through practices prior to the 2002 game, and players on the other defeated opponents have said the Patriots seemed to have inside knowledge of their playbooks.

[TexasGator]

“What a beautiful day here in OKC. 72 degrees, no wind (and no wind is rare). Incredible January day. Summertime I’m about a 3 handicap. Winter I’m about an 8.5. Today was a great day :) I don’t slice btw :) “

Nice here in Florida. About the same. Also, no tornados in the forecast.

[kjam22]

They never have winter in Florida do they? I could move to a retirement village down there and play golf every day.... and be great. Not so much Mrs Kjam22.....

[timestax]

Each team is allowed to bring their own footballs to use during games. A little more than two hours before each game, referees inspect each team’s footballs to make sure they are properly inflated to league specifications. After this, the balls are given to the teams’ respective attendants, who will hand them off to referees as needed during games. Apparently, several “abnormal” footballs had to be removed from play during Sunday night’s game in Foxboro and the NFL is investigating whether or not these balls were intentionally deflated by the Patriots’ staff. In order for this to have happened, the Patriots’ staff would have had to deflate the balls during the game on the sidelines, which seems like it would have been an awfully big risk for the team to take given how many cameras are covering all aspects of the stadium. On Boston sports radio station WEEI on Monday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick denied that he’d intentionally deflated any balls and said that he and the team would fully cooperate with the league’s investigation. If the Patriots are found guilty, they will likely be stripped of draft picks and fined for violating league rules. Did the New England Patriots really cheat their way to the Super Bowl?

[Alas Babylon!]

Well, I’m assuming the quarterback is allowed to take his tablet home with him... Would that be forbidden? Is Brady prevented from doing so by Bellichek? I’m not sure that’s how those two roll... ;-)

[wildbill]

Of course, it was the Colt .45s. The old memory bank isn’t what it used to be.

But Manning will get them next time, deflated ball or no deflated ball.

[timestax]

In a column framed around the accusation that the Patriots deflated balls in Sunday’s 45-7 AFC Championship Game win over the Indianapolis Colts, Sports Illustrated listed many other ways in which the Patriots “cut corners.” Here are some: –Patriots staffers who supply the visiting team with towels eavesdrop and report back findings to the home team. –Opposing coaches put locks on their locker room to prevent Patriots staffers from walking in to grab play sheets. –Head coach Bill Belichick didn’t follow the unwritten rule to run by his ineligible formations with the league office before running them last Saturday –Belichick instead ran it by NFL referee Bill Vinovich before the game in hopes to confuse and intimidate the official.

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2015/01/sports-illustrated-patriots-cross-lines-other-teams-wouldnt-dare-crossing/

[hoagy62]

If you recall...WE threw a trick play on Green Bay.

The Seahawks aren’t concerned about trick plays. However, we ARE concerned about cheating.

Remember Super Bowl XL? To this day, MANY Seahawks fans are still convinced that someone got to the refs. My wife and I still refer to our opponents as the Pittsburgh ‘Stealers’.

I do not want to sound all ‘tinfoil hat’, but you can bet the Seahawks will be looking for ANY “irregularities”...

[timestax]

When Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson picked off Brady deep in Colts territory during Sunday’s AFC championship game, that’s when deflate-gate started.

According to New York Newsday and WCVB in Boston, Jackson noticed the ball wasn’t inflated as much as usual. He told a Colts equipment manager the ball felt under-inflated and gave it to him. The equipment man told Colts coach Chuck Pagano on the sideline. That message was relayed to Colts general manager Ryan Grigson in the press box, who told NFL director of football operations Mike Kensil, Newsday and WCVB said. Kensil told the on-field officials at halftime about the balls. Someone told Bob Kravitz of WTHR in Indianapolis, because he broke the story of the Patriots possibly deflating their game footballs – which would help them throw and catch it better in the rain

[Bucky14]

And Brady had a mediocre passing day. Under thrown passes, etc.. Just compared to Luck who looked like an Amish rookie.

[timestax]

The Colt’s player picked off the ball and IMMEDIATELY informed somebody about it.

[timestax]

The only occasion when the ball in play was conspicuously highlighted was at the start of the third quarter. After the kickoff, the ball was spotted and play was halted for a period without explanation. Just before the first play from scrimmage was to be run, the Patriots ball boy stepped onto the field and underhanded a ball to head referee Walt Anderson, who spotted it and play began. That ball was out of play after the first play of the drive. Former NFL referee Mike Carey theorized that a kicking ball (or “K-Ball”) from the kickoff had been spotted and that the holdup was so that a regular offensive ball could be put into the game. Balls used on scrimmage plays are allowed to be broken in by each team (but are inspected after being broken in). Kicking balls are kept separate and are not broken in by either team. Perhaps that sequence caught the attention of Colts officials. One other occurrence of interest came later in the third. After Nate Solder caught a touchdown pass on a tackle eligible play, he dropped the ball and it skittered around the turf as the Patriots celebrated. Eventually an official picked it up near the sideline. Brady came over and asked the official for the ball. The TV camera cut away at that point. It has been reported, however (and I looked but I couldn’t find it in the blizzard of stories out there) that an NFL official and a Patriots equipment man argued over the ball on the sideline with the official wanting to confiscate the ball and the equipment man wanting to hold onto it. That too, if the Col

[timestax]

I didn’t watch this game, but now I would like to watch it. Did anybody record it. I will pay for a copy and postage.

[Capt. Tom]

And Brady had a mediocre passing day. Under thrown passes, etc.. Just compared to Luck who looked like an Amish rookie.

Prior to that game , in the last 5 games of the season for the Patriots, Brady was mediocre, except for one half in one of those games which he played very well.

When the Patriots won those superbowls Brady was a good quarterback on a very good team. He ws not a very good QB, just good enough

Since then Brady became a very good QB but the team went down hill to being just a good team.

Right now the Patriots team is back up to being a very good team, but Brady is not as good as he was a few yeas ago.

The Pariots are back to where they were when they won the Superbowls , a good enough QB on a very good team. -Tom

[21twelve]

“My advice for the “colder” months of the year? Have a pocket in your bag wherein you can stash a few chem-heat packages. Keep all your game balls there.”

Back in Junior High shop class we built little wooden race cars powered by a CO2 cartridge. I put the cartridge the teacher gave me into my underwear (near my “game balls”) to pre-heat it.

Too bad he saw me pull the cartridge out when it was my turn to race. I smoked the other car - but the teacher’s stop watch “malfunctioned”. He gave us both a cartridge out the the box. I still won, but didn’t make a qualifying time.

[timestax]

Report: NFL found 11 of 12 Patriots footballs under-inflated Posted by Curtis Crabtree on January 20, 2015, 11:22 PM EST Football AP The New England Patriots may have some explaining to do. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, the NFL has found that 11 of the 12 football used by the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated by two pounds each. The Colts noticed one of the Patriots footballs was abnormal after linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted Tom Brady. The issue was then relayed up through the organization and ultimately to the league, who began an investigation into the situation. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick declined to comment on the investigation. Per Mortensen, the league has no further comment on the investigation at this time. M

[timestax]

Sports is entertainment and an escape from all the troubles in life and work. We see enough unfair cheating in life and in politics and the government. NOW comes New England Patriots with their blatant cheating, and their quarterback, and other Pat. players laughing about it. Enough is enough.

[timestax]

[timestax]

[timestax]

[timestax]