It was all smiles for the New England Patriots after defeating the Indianapolis Colts in the Eastern Division Championship game, with a score of 45 – 7. But those smiles quickly turned to expressions of confusion, disappointment, and outrage the next morning. On January 19, the NFL launched an investigation to determine whether the Patriots had intentionally deflated their team’s footballs in order to enhance the members’ playing abilities.
Immediately, coach Bill Belichick responded to reports, saying, “The team will cooperate fully with whatever questions they ask us, and whatever they want us to do.” It is standard procedure before any official NFL football game to weigh all twelve footballs, each of which must weigh no less then 12.5 pounds per square inch. When it was reported that the Patriots’ footballs used in the game seemed a bit different then regulation footballs, it was soon confirmed that they did in fact weigh two pounds per square inch below the standard weight.
During bad weather, a deflated football is easier to grip. This enables players on the offensive side, such as quarterback Tom Brady, to throw the ball more efficiently. When the news spewed out, #deflategate quickly became trend on social media. Spectators started accusing the two people who could most likely be the culprits behind the Deflate Gate controversy: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. As the play-maker on the field, Brady would obviously benefit from a deflated ball given the harsh conditions he had to play in. When he was addressed about the situation, Brady said, “I didn’t alter the ball in any way.” Brady appeared seemingly amused at the press conference and claimed, “I have no knowledge of wrongdoing.” Along with Brady, Belicheck also denied accusations, stating, “I have no explanation.”
Before any game, it is required for the referees inspect the footballs to look for any irregularities. After the inspection, referees hand off the footballs to ball attendants who bring the footballs to the sidelines until the game begins. So, if the footballs were intentionally deflated, it must have been done right before the game started.
Since the Patriots have had a reputation of cheating from the 2007 incident with the New York Jets, the public’s suspicion was only reinforced. However, there is no evidence thus far confirming who is actually behind the deflation. If it was intentional, then clearly the Patriots should be penalized for it. But, the outcome of the game suggests one thing: the Patriots are the better team. Angry fans of the Colts are using the Deflate Gate as an excuse for the team’s loss, but personally, I don’t believe that’s the case. Patriot fans are upset, too, but who is really to blame in this situation? We have no one to point fingers at just yet, and I don’t believe we will anytime soon.
Today, Sunday, February 1, is the highly anticipated Superbowl XLIX, where the Patriots will be playing the Seattle Seahawks, who took home the victory last year. There will be no accusations of football size and cheating because the balls will be under close examination. Tune in tonight to Twitter for live tweets of the event!