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Report: NFL investigating whether Patriots purposely deflated footballs during win over Colts

CM28

By CM28
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Rexorcism

Rexorcism

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NFL probes possibility Patriots deflated footballs to get unfair edge against Colts

FOXBOROUGH — Another playoff win for the Patriots, another allegation of wrongdoing in gaining that victory.

The NFL is looking into a report that New England deflated balls used in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, according to a league spokesman.

The Patriots, known to push the rules under coach Bill Belichick, ranging from illicit videotaping of opponents’ defensive signals in Spygate to charges of slippery formations last week, leveled the Colts, 45-7, as rain fell, in the title game. Per NFL rules, New England, the home team, was required to provide 12 primary balls — each inflated with 12 ½ to 13 ½ pounds of air and weighing 14-15 ounces — for testing by the referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to kickoff. A pump was to be furnished by the Patriots, as well, and the referee was to supervise the balls until provided to a game attendant before the start. It is unclear as to when the Patriots purportedly let air out of the balls, as first reported by WTHR in Indianapolis. At one point, a ball was taken out of play and weighed by officials. A deflated ball is said to be easier to throw and catch.

“We are looking into it,” said Michael Signor, the Vice President of Football Communications for the NFL.

The Patriots also had to make 12 backup balls available for testing. Because the playoff game was played outside, the Colts were also allowed to bring 12 backup balls. To distinguish between balls used on regular plays and in the kicking game, a box of six balls was to be opened at the time of the ball testing. Those six were only to be used for the kicking game. Section 2 of Rule 2 in the league’s manual outlines the ball regulations.

“In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper ball from the visitors, and, failing that, use the best available ball,” the rule says. “Any such circumstances must be reported to the Commissioner.”

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, playing in his first AFC title game, completed 12 of 33 passes for 126 yards. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards in reaching his sixth Super Bowl alongside Belichick. Brady threw one interception and three touchdowns. Luck threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.

“I think I’ve heard it all at this point,” Brady said on his weekly WEEI radio appearance Monday. “That’s the least of my worries, I don’t even respond to stuff like this.”

Ball deflation was not the first charge that the Patriots have faced this postseason. As the top seed in the AFC, New England hosted Baltimore in the divisional round last week. After losing to the Patriots, 35-31, Ravens coach John Harbaugh insisted that the Patriots were employing “deceptive” means on three plays that had just four offensive linemen and a back split out declaring himself ineligible.

“It’s not something that anybody has ever done before,” Harbaugh said. “They’re an illegal type of a thing and I’m sure that [the NFL will] make some adjustments and things like that.”

Belichick shrugged. The league ultimately found that New England did not violate any rules with its substitution patterns in its divisional round win over the Ravens.

"It's a play that we thought would work," Belichick said. "We ran it three times, a couple different looks. We had six eligible receivers on the field, but only five were eligible. The one who was ineligible reported that he was ineligible. No different than on the punt team or a situation like that."

Belichick was scheduled to be on a conference call with reporters at 3 p.m.

The most recent allegation of ball deflation in high profile football traced back to former USC coach Lane Kiffin. In 2012, a USC investigation found that one of Kiffin’s student managers at USC let air out of the balls used against Oregon in a loss. USC was fined and reprimanded by the Pac 12.

The WTHR report on the Patriots’ actions maintained that New England faces potential loss of draft picks if found to have deflated the balls. After an investigation in 2007, the NFL fined Belichick $500,000 — the maximum allowed by the league and the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league's 87-year history — for his role in the Spygate episode. The league also fined the Patriots $250,000, and docked the team their original first-round selection in the 2008 draft.

Before the latest allegation surfaced Sunday night, Patriots owner Robert Kraft praised the football men surrounding him.

“How privileged we’ve been to have such great people associated with us,” he said.

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Jets1958

Jets1958

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You guys are too funny with all your excuses.

 

Well, where there's smoke, there's fire.

 

I was speaking with a College head coach today and he told me about a player he once coached who went on to play D back for the Patsies under Bellicheat.  The coach said that the D Back told him that  Bellicheat would always know what the opposition was running ahead of time and would also tell his team right before the end half time to look for 2 or 3 particular adjustments the opposing O would make at half time.  The D back told the college coach that Bellicheat could read the minds of the opposition.

 

Either Bellicheat is a football coaching god, or something else was going on.  The coach friend strongly suspects - "Something else".

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jetrider

jetrider

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Well, where there's smoke, there's fire.

 

I was speaking with a College head coach today and he told me about a player he once coached who went on to play D back for the Patsies under Bellicheat.  The coach said that the D Back told him that  Bellicheat would always know what the opposition was running ahead of time and would also tell his team right before the end half time to look for 2 or 3 particular adjustments the opposing O would make at half time.  The D back told the college coach that Bellicheat could read the minds of the opposition.

 

Either Bellicheat is a football coaching god, or something else was going on.  The coach friend strongly suspects - "Something else".

 

Ernie Adams

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Savage69

Savage69

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Well, where there's smoke, there's fire.

 

I was speaking with a College head coach today and he told me about a player he once coached who went on to play D back for the Patsies under Bellicheat.  The coach said that the D Back told him that  Bellicheat would always know what the opposition was running ahead of time and would also tell his team right before the end half time to look for 2 or 3 particular adjustments the opposing O would make at half time.  The D back told the college coach that Bellicheat could read the minds of the opposition.

 

Either Bellicheat is a football coaching god, or something else was going on.  The coach friend strongly suspects - "Something else".

That doesn't explain how the Pats barely beat the lowly Jets twice this past year..

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WickedAwesome

WickedAwesome

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Well, where there's smoke, there's fire.

 

I was speaking with a College head coach today and he told me about a player he once coached who went on to play D back for the Patsies under Bellicheat.  The coach said that the D Back told him that  Bellicheat would always know what the opposition was running ahead of time and would also tell his team right before the end half time to look for 2 or 3 particular adjustments the opposing O would make at half time.  The D back told the college coach that Bellicheat could read the minds of the opposition.

 

Either Bellicheat is a football coaching god, or something else was going on.  The coach friend strongly suspects - "Something else".

 

Cool story. I have a guy in my living room right now who played for Belichick and said it didn't help them at all.

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Jets1958

Jets1958

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Cool story. I have a guy in my living room right now who played for Belichick and said it didn't help them at all.

 

Go ahead, make fun of the unnamed source and the allegations. But realize the weight of the evidence is substantial.  You cannot wish it away and your efforts to ridicule the messenger are too obvious.

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