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 ...
The real mystery here is what the Patriots put on the ball to make Luck's receivers drop those catches they should have made.-Tom
Where’s the protesters when you need them, the Indy wambulance needs to be diverted.
Belichick seems like the antichrist or something.
Or is it that he just got caught?
That's why weighing would be the appropriate method of measurement. The air inside the ball doesn't go anywhere, even if it's pressure is lowered due to the temperature. Not to mention, sloppy insertion of a needle for measurement could allow air to leak.
WD-40
You know if it is slightly deflated by measuring the air pressure inside the football.... not the weight.
Now hold on a dang minute...Tar Heels are certainly arrogant in a snooty, haughty way but if they were truly cheaters, they would have won more games.
In football, at least, they only have 2 types of seasons: sucky and less sucky.
:]
True, but more than offset by the advantage a passing team would have in completing long passes.
Because they cheat.
New England Patriots Cheating Scandal
JAMES JOYNER · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007
New England Cheatriots LogoThe New England Patriots have been caught using electronic means to steal signals and otherwise violate league rules, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the New England Patriots violated league rules Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the New York Jets’ coaches, according to league sources. NFL security officials confiscated a camera and videotape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the New England sidelines when it was suspected he was recording the Jets’ defensive signals. Sources say the visual evidence confirmed the suspicion.
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/new_england_patriots_cheating_scandal/
“the Indy wambulance”
“the officials took the ball out of play and weighed it”
And those damned zebras are such poor sports.
The NE Patriots ... cheaters? How can that be?
If the Rat-riots knew in advance that the balls would be deflated, and they had practiced using deflated balls, that could have given them an advantage.
But the Dolts, not knowing this, would have assumed the balls would be normal according to NFL rules, and would have expected normal behavior, hence they would have been at a disadvantage.
It probably didn’t affect the outcome of the game, but if it was closer, perhaps it could have.
Do they even possess a scale accurate enough to detect the difference in weight in a slightly deflated ball? It would have to be a pretty fine scale..................
LOL!!! Great movie
They should have been kicked out of the league when they cheated last time! Cheating has no place in the league. MLB banned Johnny Bench for betting...which had 0 impact on games because he bet for his team to WIN.
The NFL though just covered it up as best they can and glossed over it...because to admit the Patriots won be cheating would through the whole season/playoffs in jeopardy.
Not the first time, and it won't be the last.
5.56mm
And are the balls inflated with just common air or dry nitrogen? That would cause a difference in weight as well...............
I’ll go out on a limb here and say that the Colts’ balls were totally not a factor in the game. ;-)
Read. The. Article.
It explains how and why.
Are people really that lazy?
Huh? No penalty for false accusation?
That's news to me. Did you mean Pete Rose?...............
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