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 ...
Was it a deflated ball that bounced off Josh Cribbs helmet on the Pat’s first punt?
This is correct. The difference in weight would be so minor as to not effect the game in any way. (probably not even noticable) The deflated football would need to have the pressure checked to determine.... not the weight.
You would check it with something like this...
Former NFL official Jim Daopoulos, in an interview with ESPN on Monday morning, explained the process in which footballs are managed. Two hours and 15 minutes before each game, officials inspect 12 footballs from each team and put a mark on them to indicate they meet the proper requirements and are good for usage. Then those footballs are given to the ball attendant.There also is a second set of six footballs, used specifically for the kicking game, that are marked appropriately and remain in the possession of officials at all times.
The question is if the Patriots deflated their 12 balls after the balls were inspected by the refs.
Think about it..... no football weighs 13 pounds. None of them. They regulation is for air pressure. It has been poorly reported that it was about weight.
Interesting. Thanks.
Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on games. Then he claimed he never bet on games involving his team. Then he claimed the only times he bet on his team was to win.
The Pats would have practiced with deflated balls, the Colts not. Plus the psychological advantage, which is huge.
Sorry Yes..Pete Rose. old man memory slip.
And it begs the question, what else are they doing ?
An underinflated football could be easier to grip and catch. NFL rules stipulate that footballs must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14 and 15 ounces.
So an underinflated ball would weigh less than 14 oz., and have an internal pressure of less than 12.5 psi.
Think about it .... no football weighs 13 pounds. If it did they would have to throw it like a shot put.
The weight of the ball would have to be within a certain window, since the materials would probably have a variance in weight, small, but a variance none the less..........
Whether bush-league belly-chick cheated (again) or not it’s not that the outcome of the game would have changed. It’s a matter of jmoral character and sportsmanship — values that belly-chick has demonstrated he does not hold — than of the score.
Like the SCOTUS, they wouldn’t dare deal with the result of overturning a valid election..even if the POTUS is not eligible for the office.
Of course the NCAA’s fondness for vacating victories is one of the reasons the football and basketball factory schools have gotten tired of the NCAA, formed super conferences, and will soon leave the NCAA and form their own overseeing body (or completely emasculate the NCAA as it desperately tries to remain relevant). Vacating wins is dumb, it creates a world where you have to wait 5 years and find out if the game you saw actually happened.
No, there are two criteria: pressure and weight. The first is measured with a pressure gauge. The second requires a scale...
Now how it could be in compliance with one and not the other is a different issue.
Right... you can go to Academy and buy footballs of a number of different weights. Thicknesses. Size, Style, etc. The weight determination would be made before the game. And the weight can change during a game. Rain will change the weight a lot more than an air pressure change.
Buy a football.... air it up. Weigh it. Soak it in water and then let the air out. It will weigh more than it did before you let the air out.
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