NFL: 11 of 12 Pat's balls under inflated.

[Herbivore 911]

It's been stated multiple places that they were 2psi below the minimum. I don't think that's up for debate.

 

I'ld still like to see it.

[HenryHill9323 65]

 

I'ld still like to see it.

links are in this thread

[edjr 5,587]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/super-bowl-xlix/deflate-gate-nfl-ball-boys-perspective-preparing-footballs-n290801

 

 

 

Among the many people who had contact with the Patriots pigskin used in Sunday's AFC championship — which were reportedly underinflated — were the ball boys. And one former ball boy (who did not take part in Sunday's match) told NBC News that his goal was always to prepare the ball to the quarterback's preference and hope they passed inspection, and that it would have been very difficult to tamper with them afterward.

Eric Kester, who was a ball boy for the Chicago Bears in 2003, says he can't speculate about the controversy dubbed "Deflate-Gate," but he remembers how the preparation worked — starting with the delivery of factory-fresh balls a few days before a game.

"We would then work with the quarterbacks to customize the balls to their liking. This involved scrubbing them with stiff horsehair brushes to rub off the leather's slippery silicone sheen, and occasionally inflating or deflating the balls a very small amount, which I believe is legal to a degree. Quarterbacks are very particular about the way a ball feels in their hand, and we worked meticulously to match their particular preferences," Kester said.

Two hours before kickoff, he would bring the balls to the referees' locker room for inspection.

"I recall them having a pressure gauge in the locker room, but most often they just squeezed the balls, turned them over in their hands a few times each, and inspected the laces. I don't recall them ever rejecting one of our balls," he said.

"My thought process was, 'Let's get the balls exactly the way our quarterback wants them, and if the refs reject one or two before the game, no big deal. But there's no harm giving them our ideal balls and hoping they make it through inspection.'"

 

After inspection — which was far more stringent for balls used for kickoffs and field goals — the game balls were taken right out to the field, he said.

"There was a window, maybe an hour or so, between inspection and game time," Kester said. "The balls were out on the field, and it would have been very difficult for me to secretly deflate balls while thousands of fans and media members moved about the stadium. It would also have been very difficult to sneak 12 balls back into the locker room without raising suspicion.

"In my experience, I never knew of a ball boy who tampered with a ball after inspection."

NBC Sports reported Wednesday that according to an NFL source, a review has determined the Patriots' balls were properly checked by the officials before the game, meaning the pressure was between 12.5 PSI and no more than 13.5 PSI. When the balls were tested at halftime, 11 of the 12 balls were two pounds below the mandatory minimum, NBC Sports reported.

 

 

 

I guess Hatriots will say he's lying

[HenryHill9323 65]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/super-bowl-xlix/deflate-gate-nfl-ball-boys-perspective-preparing-footballs-n290801

 

 

 

I guess Hatriots will say he's lying

So, your whole case rests on a Chi ball boy from over a decade ago.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

The one that I don't get is that no one has really talked about how the balls get into play. It may have changed recently, but I remember looking at it a couple of years ago.

There are two bags with balls in it. One on each sideline. A ball goes out of play on a particular sideline and the ball boy on that side nearest the play grabs another ball from the bag and gives it to the side judge who gives it to the umpire to put into play. Which bag depended on which side the play had occurred on, not which sideline the offense was on. So, during the course of a game, balls could get mixed in with balls that the other team supplied.

In this particular game, they were switching balls constantly because it was raining out and they always wanted a dry ball. I would be interested to see if that jives with what D'Qwell Jackson stated as far as the Patriots using Indianapolis balls during the first half of the game.

[Herbivore 911]

Looked for the links, but guess I didn't go back far enough. And Google came up empty. Thanks. That does seem like a lot.

[drobeski 3,061]

Question for Drob since he's the one actually answering questions:

 

If the following things turn out true:

Balls were measured pregame (signs point to yes)

11 of 12 balls were ~2psi under-inflated at halftime (I think we all agree that's true)

 

Do you think there's any way Brady is not responsible?

And if so, what's your definition of responsible?

If the blame goes to someone like an equipment manager, do you honestly think he did it on his own without Brady knowing?

that's up to the NFL to decide

[edjr 5,587]

So, your whole case rests on a Chi ball boy from over a decade ago.

 

Dumber than a bag of deflated balls.

[RLLD 3,455]

I hope SNL has something prepared for this weekend.....

[HenryHill9323 65]

 

Dumber than a bag of deflated balls.

Yes, bringing a quote from a Chi ball boy from over a decade ago is dumber than a bag of deflated balls.

 

At least you have moved away from blaming the weather, so you got that going for ya.

[edjr 5,587]

I hope SNL has something prepared for this weekend.....

 

I am sure they will, at some point.

 

they will probably start with the state of the union though.

 

SNL could be maybe at it's worst point ever right now though

[RLLD 3,455]

 

I am sure they will, at some point.

 

they will probably start with the state of the union though.

 

SNL could be maybe at it's worst point ever right now though

 

Yeah, been less than funny of late, althought that MLK skit last week was strong.... opening with the state of the union is the best bet

[KSB2424 3,085]

Looked for the links, but guess I didn't go back far enough. And Google came up empty. Thanks. That does seem like a lot.

 

I googled "How deflated were Patriots Balls" This was the very first article by Yahoo:

 

 

A report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen said that 11 of the New England Patriots' 12 allotted game footballs in Sunday's AFC championship game were each under-inflated by 2 pounds of air per square inch, according to Mortensen's league sources

 

 

Maybe you should brush up on your Google skillz.

[edjr 5,587]

 

Yeah, been less than funny of late, althought that MLK skit last week was strong.... opening with the state of the union is the best bet

 

WAY too much keenan and not near enough of the other black guy.

 

His impressions are spot on

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0bT60BLYKM

[Kanil 519]

that's up to the NFL to decide

That didn't answer my question at all

[vuduchile 1,941]

I think he'll do absolutely everything to win, even if that includes cheating, but I just don't think he would mess with game balls. I would guess head coaches leave that to the qb's. I agree with you, I'm sure he knows the process.

Accountability is one of the biggest problems plaguing pro sports teams. The number of people in the organization makes it's easy to shift blame when something goes wrong. The prevalent attitude seems to be individuality over team.

 

All these individual fines, suspensions and penalties aren't improving the game or preventing other players/coaches from doing the same crap.

 

The team as a whole needs to be held accountable for the actions of it's players, coaches and staff.

 

[HenryHill9323 65]

More players calling Brady's bullshiot bullshiot.

 

 

 

Ex-players react: Brady‘s cluelessness ‘unbelievable’

 

 

 

For more than a decade, Tom Brady has established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, one of the sport’s most popular and respected players. On Wednesday, Brady may have jeopardized his credibility for good.

Like Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Brady denied having anything to do with footballs being deflated in the AFC Championship Game and denied knowing it had occurred until the next day, but to the quarterback’s former peers, the NFL’s golden boy lost some of the luster he had earned in his 15-year career.

“I did not believe what Tom had to say,” former quarterback and ESPN analyst Mark Brunell said. “Those balls were deflated. Someone had to do it and I don’t believe there’s an equipment manager in the NFL that would on his own initiative deflate a ball without the starting quarterback’s approval. I just didn’t believe what Tom Brady had to say.”

Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis added, “I’m so disappointed because I thought this was a perfect opportunity for Tom Brady to go and say, ‘You know what? I made a mistake. I blew it. It’s on me. I’ll take the blame here, and this will go away.’ He didn’t do that … I’m disappointed in you, Tom Brady.”

Fellow ESPN analyst Brian Dawkins said it was “unbelievable” for Brady not to be aware when he touched the balls every play, while Hall of Famer Troy Aikman agreed that the balls would not be altered unless Brady had instructed an equipment manager to do so.

“It’s obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this,” Aikman told a Dallas radio station — before either of Brady’s or Belichick’s denials. “For the balls to be deflated, that doesn’t happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that. Now the question becomes: Did Bill Belichick know about it?”

Incredibly, the already tarnished Belichick left his press conference earlier in the day with more plausible deniability, particularly to quarterbacks familiar with the ball-picking process.

“I listened to Bill Belichick and I believed every word he said,” eight-year NFL pro Matt Leinart told The Post. “Not once did a head coach ever have any input in that. It’s strictly a quarterback-to-equipment-manager thing and that’s pretty universal. Those are the only two guys that have any part of that process.

 

“You go through the whole bag and you literally handpick them and say, ‘This one is good, this one’s too hard, put a little bit of air in that one, take a little bit out. … It’s a full 20-minute process to make sure on Sunday you have the exact football you want to be throwing. Quarterbacks are very, very picky about how they want their ball and that goes on everywhere.”

Leinart, now an analyst with Fox Sports, said he saw numerous things done to balls in his career, including being rubbed with varying substances and thrown in dryers, to get the right feel. He said he didn’t consider it cheating because “every team doctors up the ball to the liking of their quarterback” and that while deflation would help Brady with his grip, it would take away velocity and distance on throws.

Nevertheless, Ravens defensive end Chris Canty — whose team lost to the Patriots in the AFC divisional round — thinks it is just another example of New England’s willingness to do anything to gain an unfair edge.

“The Patriots are habitual line-steppers,” Canty said while appearing on NBCSN on Wednesday. “If the allegations are true, then you are talking about attacking the integrity of our game and I have an issue with that.

“What I’m going to say about the deflating of the balls, to me there is no difference than performance-enhancing drugs. You are cheating at that point. You are getting a competitive advantage outside of the rule book and there has to be some sort of consequences for that.”

 

 

Aikman thinks the consequences should be harsher than the suspensions handed to the Saints for Bountygate in 2012, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed ignorance was not an excuse.

“Sean Payton did not cheat,” Aikman said of the Saints coach who was suspended an entire year. “There was nothing that Sean Payton and the Saints did that was illegal. And they did not give themselves a competitive edge.

“Now twice, under Bill Belichick and possibly a third time, they’ve cheated and given themselves an advantage. To me, the punishment for the Patriots and/or Bill Belichick has to be more severe than what the punishment was for the New Orleans Saints.”

After a season filled with scandals — including Goodell’s indefensible decision to initially suspend Ray Rice two games in the former Ravens running back’s domestic violence case — Aikman thinks enormous pressure is on Goodell, especially due to his friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

“There’s a lot of coaches and a lot of people that look upon the Patriots as a team that’s been favored in some of the things that have happened — I thought the punishment he got for Spygate was a slap on the wrist, was next to nothing — so we’ll see,” Aikman said.

 

 

http://nypost.com/2015/01/22/ex-players-react-bradys-cluelessness-unbelievable/

[KSB2424 3,085]

Al Capone was a mobster who over saw burglary, murder, all sorts of heinous crimes. But guess what broght him down? Something as simple and mundane as tax evasion.

 

Sometimes it's the small things that start the eventual fall of an empire.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

More players calling Brady's bullshiot bullshiot.

 

 

 

http://nypost.com/2015/01/22/ex-players-react-bradys-cluelessness-unbelievable/

Love it. I hope the haters keep their panties all in a bunch all the way past the SB.

[HenryHill9323 65]

Love it. I hope the haters keep their panties all in a bunch all the way past the SB.

Glad you are enjoying watching what little integrity your team had go up in smoke.

[Mike Honcho 4,045]

Since we can't replay the the 2 games the Pats already played...I think we just have to cancel the SB.

 

The Patriots must hate America.

[KSB2424 3,085]

Since we can't replay the the 2 games the Pats already played...I think we just have to cancel the SB.

 

The Patriots must hate America.

 

Maybe we can get Keeanu Reeves to play QB for the Patriots and get the game in. Just a thought, I'd really hate to know we will miss out on all those SB commercials. And Katy Perry's boobs.

[Mike Honcho 4,045]

FYI---didn't see if it was posted here...since some have questioned Mort, but the NFL has released an initial statement:

 

 

Our office has been conducting an investigation as to whether the footballs used in last Sunday’s
AFC Championship Game complied with the specifications that are set forth in the playing rules. The
investigation began based on information that suggested that the game balls used by the New
England Patriots were not properly inflated to levels required by the playing rules, specifically Playing
Rule 2, Section 1, which requires that the ball be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per
square inch. Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and
confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday’s game.

The investigation is being led jointly by NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the
law firm of Paul Weiss. Mr. Wells and his firm bring additional expertise and a valuable independent
perspective. The investigation began promptly on Sunday night. Over the past several days, nearly
40 interviews have been conducted, including of Patriots personnel, game officials, and third parties
with relevant information and expertise. We have obtained and are continuing to obtain additional
information, including video and other electronic information and physical evidence. We have retained
Renaissance Associates, an investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in
reviewing electronic and video information.

The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games. We take seriously
claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or
delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued
expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine
video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far
supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first
half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the
game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the
explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and
specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any
judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and
considered all of the relevant evidence.

Upon being advised of the investigation, the Patriots promptly pledged their full cooperation and have
made their personnel and other information available to us upon request. Our investigation will seek
information from any and all relevant sources and we expect full cooperation from other clubs as well.
As we develop more information and are in a position to reach conclusions, we will share them
publicly.

 

[RLLD 3,455]

 

Maybe we can get Keeanu Reeves to play QB for the Patriots and get the game in. Just a thought, I'd really hate to know we will miss out on all those SB commercials. And Katy Perry's boobs.

 

I think Keanu Reeves could throw the ball three yards down the field all day too, solid choice

[KSB2424 3,085]

So what does Joey Garoppolo play like? Any good? I'm thinking about betting on this game.

[edjr 5,587]

So what does Joey Garoppolo play like? Any good? I'm thinking about betting on this game.

 

if he were any good, he would have replaced Brady after week 4

[Mike Honcho 4,045]

So what does Joey Garoppolo play like? Any good? I'm thinking about betting on this game.

 

What if he masterminded the whole thing? He get to play, win the MVP and end up with Giselle!!!

[vuduchile 1,941]

Also,

 

How stupid is the NFL to have one set of procedures for the control of game balls in the regular season and playoffs and a completely separate set for the Super Bowl? On top of that, both procedures have failed!!

 

By now, we all know the process for the regular season and playoffs.

 

However, for the Super Bowl, the balls are managed by an impartial team's equipment manager and a group of ball boys who were hired before the final teams were known.

 

So Brad Johnson somehow got to the "impartial" ball boy and slipped him the $7500.

[KSB2424 3,085]

 

What if he masterminded the whole thing?

 

Interesting theory. Joey deflated the balls behind the scenes, then tipped off the Colts. Tonya Harding would be proud.

[BiPolarBear 476]

 

And Katy Perry's boobs.

 

Well, I just climbed aboard the "let's overlook the whole thing and play ball" bus.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

Glad you are enjoying watching what little integrity your team had go up in smoke.

If you think that your opinion as to "integrity" makes a rat's ass of difference to any reasonable person then you are even more delusional than I thought.

[parrot 789]

 

And Katy Perry's boobs.

 

I just hope they're properly inflated.

[IGotWorms 3,326]

FYI---didn't see if it was posted here...since some have questioned Mort, but the NFL has released an initial statement:

 

 

 

Are they gonna get the CSI fellas in on the case too?

[edjr 5,587]

How can the NFL wait till after the Super Bowl to drop the hammer on the Patriots?

 

if the Patriots win and then they drop the hammer? it will look so bad for the NFL.

 

They will be saying "cheaters just won our most important game of our season and we let it happen"

 

How can anyone ever take them serious again?

[RLLD 3,455]

How can the NFL wait till after the Super Bowl to drop the hammer on the Patriots?

 

if the Patriots win and then they drop the hammer? it will look so bad for the NFL.

 

They will be saying "cheaters just won our most important game of our season and we let it happen"

 

How can anyone ever take them serious again?

 

Perhaps, but better to taint the memory than the product you are trying to sell, I think.....

 

I see little value in them doing anything before the SB, I think its best to drag this out past the SB.

[Mike Honcho 4,045]

How can the NFL wait till after the Super Bowl to drop the hammer on the Patriots?

 

if the Patriots win and then they drop the hammer? it will look so bad for the NFL.

 

They will be saying "cheaters just won our most important game of our season AGAIN and we let it happen"

 

How can anyone ever take them serious again?

 

Fixed.

[Eagles Green 34]

I'm not reading 14 pages on this subject.

 

Tell me, did drobeski win the thread?

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Deflatriots are flat out scumbag cheaters.

 

Another *

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

How can the NFL wait till after the Super Bowl to drop the hammer on the Patriots?

 

if the Patriots win and then they drop the hammer? it will look so bad for the NFL.

 

They will be saying "cheaters just won our most important game of our season and we let it happen"

 

How can anyone ever take them serious again?

It makes perfect sense to wait for a number of reasons, including:

- If they rush to make judgment and are wrong, they will have egg on their face (see Ray Rice)

- They have already decided that if the Patriots (team or individuals) are in violation of league rules, then the punishment is not such that they would keep a person (player or coach) out of the SB, so why rush

 

So, the real question is, "why is there such a rush on this?"

[Mungwater 588]

Jerry bought the Cowboys for $140m - current value $3.2B, tops in the league..... Now that's a return.

Halas bought the bears for $100 now worth 1.7 billion, THAT is a hell of a return

[edjr 5,587]

It makes perfect sense to wait for a number of reasons, including:

- If they rush to make judgment and are wrong, they will have egg on their face (see Ray Rice)

- They have already decided that if the Patriots (team or individuals) are in violation of league rules, then the punishment is not such that they would keep a person (player or coach) out of the SB, so why rush

 

So, the real question is, "why is there such a rush on this?"

 

because it's impossible to talk about the game