Maybe someone just forgot to moisten the needle.
Posted on 01/19/2015 7:48:57 AM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Both teams used the same balls.
If deflating it a bit makes it easier to throw and catch then why isn’t the regulation football standard changed?
Don’t both teams use the same balls? If so, wouldn’t a deflated ball have the same advantages/disadvantages for both teams?
The accusation is that they were used when the Patriots were on offense.
I have no idea how this all works, so I am withholding judgement. I can’t see the league allowing one team to manage the game equipment in that manor. The fact is that someone in the game became suspicious and went through the process of weighing the balls, etc. There must be something that triggered that. We do know the Pats have been guilty of other cheating in the past, so it will be no surprise if this is proven out. If it is, Belichek needs to be banned from the league, and the Patriots punished severely. If it’s not true, then we play on.
I think with the serial abuses what you have here is what the NCAA calls “lack of institutional control”. Makes one wonder how many times they haven’t been caught. Just sayin’
Maybe someone just forgot to moisten the needle.
If found guilty, then game forfeiture would be an appropriate penalty despite the uproar it would cause.
Fines and loss of draft picks. Belichick was fined $500,000 last time he was caught cheating. I hope they actually make it hurt this time.
Yes, but...If it can be proven that a team intentionally did this, then there could be consequesnces for them. Belichick is a known cheater."
Why aren’t the game balls supplied by the NFL officials? Seems simple to do, and would ‘deflate’ any criticism...................
How about the fact that the entire second half was drenched from a continuous downpour? It could be as simple as the idea that NE plays outdoors at home and the Colts do not. The entire second half play by the Colts looked a lot different than the first half - as if they had lost major momentum and basically, given up.
To me it seemed every time Brady took the field, he brought his own ball to play with...................
Don’t bring facts into this.
Because they cheat. This isn't the first time.
That depends upon the NFL’s protocols for changing the gameball. During a game played in a steady rainfall, how often is the ball changed and who has charge of the balls that are not in play?
The UNC Tar Heels of the NFL. Dirty, rotten, arrogant CHEATERS.
I agree entirely.
Did anyone even read the article and see how one team can use this as an advantage over another?
I guess the same sports experts that also claimed Stern was going to force a discount sale of the Clippers to Magic Johnson commented on this article.
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