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