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NFL finds Patriots used underinflated footballs
Boston Globe ^ | 1-21-15 | Ben Volin

Posted on 01/21/2015 6:57:45 AM PST by Colehill1999

The Patriots used underinflated footballs on Sunday night.

The next question is how did it happen?

According to a National Football League letter about the investigation into the controversy that was shared with the Globe, the Patriots were informed that the league’s initial findings indicated that the game balls did not meet specifications. The league inspected each of the Patriots’ 12 game balls twice at halftime, using different pressure gauges, and found footballs that were not properly inflated.

According to ESPN, 11 of the 12 game balls were found to be underinflated by about 2 pounds each. The NFL specifications say they must be inflated to 12½ to 13½ pounds.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Indiana
KEYWORDS: againandagain; colts; deflategate; deflatriots; indiana; indianapolis; indianapoliscolts; newengland; newenglandpatriots; nfl; patriots; superbowl
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To: mbarker12474

LOL!


161 posted on 01/21/2015 8:31:02 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: MUDDOG

I agree ... the refs should check each teams balls randomly.
In San Francisco they have many “volunteers” who would do this for free


162 posted on 01/21/2015 8:32:48 AM PST by clamper1797 (I'm a Tea Party Conservative ... in my opinion that makes me "Politically Correct")
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To: MUDDOG
I guess my issue is I hate both teams and found myself wanting the Paps (not a typo) to win. Colt's owner sucks and he hosed St Louis and we got stuck with Stan Kronke....

GO SEAHAWKS.....

163 posted on 01/21/2015 8:32:55 AM PST by 11th Commandment ("THOSE WHO TIRE LOSE")
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To: DJ Frisat
"Colts: all 12 balls properly inflated"

Got a source for this?

Reported on Mike and Mike show this morning. All Colts footballs found to be OK at halftime re-check.

164 posted on 01/21/2015 8:36:13 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: Kartographer

Nope didn’t say that. First of all. The NFL hasn’t said they cheated only that the 11 of 12 balls were under inflated. The cause has yet to be determined. If the NFL comes out and says they cheated then they cheated. Until then, it’s all speculation and hearsay on the cause.


165 posted on 01/21/2015 8:37:17 AM PST by sigzero
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To: Phlap
The NFL has to make a ruling. If they don’t this story will fester like a teenagers forehead.

I think the whole thing is a marketing ploy. NFL makes money off the love AND the hate - it's the indifference that's costly.

166 posted on 01/21/2015 8:37:26 AM PST by ALPAPilot
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To: discostu
before the inspection and the refs just missed it

According to Mike and Mike this morning, it is standard operating procedure for the refs is to use a pressure gauge to check all the footballs in the pregame inspection.

So it's unlikely the refs missed it beforehand.

167 posted on 01/21/2015 8:39:30 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: Cletus.D.Yokel

No question that NE was going to dominate the Colts, but if that’s the case, and everyone knew it, why cheat? That’s what bugs me - the arrogance of it all. And Brady’s, “that’s ridiculous” just reeks - here’s a guy who handles footballs everyday of his life blowing it off while some DB who makes a (rare) interception could tell immediately that there was something funny with the ball. Good thing it wasn’t Richard Sherman or he would have been in Brady, Belichick, and the Ref’s face about it. Reminds me a bit of a bone-headed break-in down in DC back in the 70s - it wasn’t the crime that pulled everyone down, it was the cover-up...


168 posted on 01/21/2015 8:39:42 AM PST by stormer
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To: sigzero

If the Colts player could tell the ball was under inflated, why didn’t Brady notice that. Tom Brady is the quarterback, and the most expert about noticing the inflation size of the ball.
My only guess is that he knew about the cheating, or noticed that the ball was under inflated, and did not report it.
Either way, it appears to me that Brady is also a cheater.


169 posted on 01/21/2015 8:41:07 AM PST by kaila
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To: headstamp 2
Wonder how many times it happened during the season?

Even if the underinflation didn't change the Colts outcome, what about the Ravens game in the cold conditions the week before?

That was a close game.

170 posted on 01/21/2015 8:42:44 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: Colehill1999

I’m no Patriot hater but they have a history of acts. That’s got to count for something as well.


171 posted on 01/21/2015 8:42:55 AM PST by BeadCounter
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To: Paisan
Colts: all 12 balls properly inflated

The article doesn’t say or even imply that the Colts balls were properly inflated.

Mike and Mike show reported it this morning -- Colts footballs rechecked and OK at halftime.

172 posted on 01/21/2015 8:45:37 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: kaila

Brady is on record that he prefers an underinflated ball.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/20/brady-said-in-2011-he-likes-deflated-footballs/


173 posted on 01/21/2015 8:46:48 AM PST by Fresh Wind (The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away)
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To: Vigilanteman

“Remember the ear-biting boxer (his name escapes me) and the semi-final of his Olympic round? He was clobbering some guy from New Zealand when the ref told him to stop. He either didn’t hear of didn’t heed, but he lost his spot in the final and the medal as well.”

Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in a professional bout.

Holyfield was the boxer who did not hear the referee say, “Stop!” in the Olympics. He was awarded the bronze medal but the gold medal winner took him up to the winner’s circle during the award ceremony.

Holyfield is the boxer who got his ear bitten by animal Tyson.....just to set the record straight. ;-)


174 posted on 01/21/2015 8:52:32 AM PST by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise (Why does every totalitarian, political hack think that he knows how to run my life better than I do?)
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To: Responsibility2nd
It is 100 % entirely upon the game officials to ensure the air pressure is correct in all game balls. If they were under-inflated - blame the refs.

Or maybe the ball boys and one of these?

It would be really easy to do.

175 posted on 01/21/2015 8:53:17 AM PST by Ditto
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To: MUDDOG
Mike and Mike show reported it this morning -- Colts footballs rechecked and OK at halftime.

I'm so glad you heard and are sharing that. It is a major piece of evidence that there was tampering going on. It shoots the weather theory to bits. Hopefully Mike and Mike have solid info on this. It is a key piece.
176 posted on 01/21/2015 8:53:18 AM PST by mmichaels1970
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To: clamper1797

The answer would be for the refs to keep custody of the footballs, instead of giving them back to the teams.


177 posted on 01/21/2015 8:53:57 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: MUDDOG
The answer would be for the refs to keep custody of the footballs, instead of giving them back to the teams.

And for all game balls to be stored in a common bin rather than on both sidelines.
178 posted on 01/21/2015 8:55:08 AM PST by mmichaels1970
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To: MUDDOG

So that brings it back to why the league puts the balls back into the care of a team. And how’d the refs miss it when they were handling the balls in between plays? If the defender spotted it so easily it kind of beggars the imagination that the refs didn’t. Heard an ex-ref on the radio pointing out that the story so far has the refs alerted in the first half, giving them half time to fix it, though we don’t know if they did. But that brings up another question of if they did nothing why? And if they did then the Pats had “proper” balls for the second half when the game turned into a route. There’s a lot to wonder in why the league enforces this rule the way it does.


179 posted on 01/21/2015 8:55:33 AM PST by discostu (The albatross begins with its vengeance A terrible curse a thirst has begun)
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To: mmichaels1970
At the very least, the fact that the Colts footballs were checked and found OK, shows that it wasn't some kind of weather condition that deflated the Pats footballs.

I think it was the ex-NFL referee whom Mike and Mike had on who reported that the Colts footballs were also re-checked.

Golic asked him if the footballs were also checked after the game, and the ref didn't know. That would show if the Pats did it again for the second half.

180 posted on 01/21/2015 8:58:02 AM PST by MUDDOG
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