The report is in on “Deflategate” and it does not look good for either the Patriots or Tom Brady. As we discussed earlier, Coach Bill Belichick insisted at the earlier press conference that he not only had no idea how the balls were deflated in New England’s AFC title game against Indianapolis in January. He claimed utter ignorance about virtually anything to do with the subject of air pressure and footballs. He was followed by quarterback Tom Brady who, despite previously saying that he preferred underinflated balls, said that he could not tell that the balls were deflated (even when a Colts employee could immediately feel the difference and report it). It is the immaculate deflation. It just happened by some cosmic coincidence over(1) and over(2) and over(3) and over(4) and over(5) and over(6) and over(7) and over(8) and over(9) and over(10) and over(11) again. Ted Wells does not appear to buy it though absent a confession, he could not conclusively say that the team or Brady was guilty. Instead, he concludes in this 243 page report that “We believe it is unlikely that an equipment assistant and a locker room attendant would deflate game balls without Brady’s knowledge and approval.”
Brady claimed to know nothing about football pressure in his press conference: a performance mocked on Saturday Night Live.
Wells scoffs at Brady’s denials and states “We found these claims not plausible and contradicted by other evidence.” The report found that Brady “was at least generally aware” of all the plans to prepare the balls to his liking and that it was “more probable than not” that two Patriots employees – officials’ locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski – carried out the plan. McNally is accused of demanding expensive shoes and signed footballs, jerseys and cash. Communications are described as basically a swag grab. One email said “Remember to put a couple sweet pig skins ready for tom to sign.” Another said “Nice throw in some kicks and make it real special.” The report notes that Brady had virtually no communication with the men for the prior six months and then had six telephone calls in three days.
The report does note that, while Brady was known to prefer deflated balls, he actually did better in the second half of the game after the balls had been pumped back up to regulation level.
The next question is now how the NFL will respond. “More probable than not” may be the best you can get without a confession and it has been enough in past disputes. The Patriots could be facing yet another serious sanction in an organization that is viewed as having a highly checkered past and problematic team culture.
While owner Robert Kraft called the conclusion “incomprehensible,” it is the account of the Patriots that seems incomprehensible. McNally took the game balls into a bathroom in the short period between the testing and the resumed game. Referee Walt Anderson’s said that he was surprised when he was unable to locate the previously approved footballs at the start of the game – the first time that had happened to him in 19 years.
The question is whether a penalty would reach just the Patriots or whether it would extend to Brady or Belichick (who seems less of a focus of the suspicions). There could be another draft pick loss or even a suspension of the player and the coach for the next season. That would be a lessen to every team since the Patriots did not need to deflate the balls to beat the Colts. The way the game went, it looked like Brady could have been throwing beachballs and reached the same result.
I blame Obama for this mess. Oh..wait…time to change the script. Blame Hillary. She could have prevented this NFL kerfuffle.
“BIG BABIES COMPLAINING AS SORE LOSERS”
2 LBS. OF AIR PRESSURE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PERCEPTIBLE EFFECT.
BRADY PLAYED BETTER IN THE 2ND HALF WITH APPROVED FOOTBALLS
“What did the condition of the ball have to do with Le Garrett Blount rushing for 148 yards against the Colts’ defense,” Agib Talib?
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A concocted “tempest in a teapot.”
It must have been a slow news day. Alternatively, it’s the season for “hyphenates” and their back-stabbing and treasonous allies, to disparage Americans, this American hero in particular.
The Colts used their own footballs as did the Patriots. This media created fabrication, the egregious and heinous missing 2lbs. of air pressure, had absolutely no effect on the Colts who used their own balls.
Andrew Luck, Colts Quarterback –
“…the quarterback was asked how he was feeling following Indianapolis’ 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. It was three days ago, so of course the pain could be fresh.
“It’s sort of, the energy is sort of sucked out of you,” Luck said. “You do feel deflated … Oh shoo … yeah.”
“… he couldn’t guess whether New England had deflated their game balls since each team uses their own set, but Luck said he hasn’t dwelled on the loss.
“Things in the media tend to be blown out of proportion a little bit,” Luck said. “That’s the nature of where we are today. (The Patriots are) a good football team.”
Perhaps Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib put it best:
“What did the condition of the ball have to do with Le Garrette Blount rushing for 148 yards against the Colts’ defense?”
I think this whole thing is silly. The NFL should control all balls, full stop.
People are jealous of T.B., pure and simple…they know T.B. is the greatest of all-time and love to besmirch his name at every turn…deflate the balls LMAO!…these types of looney NFL witch hunts are used by the “commissioner” and his minions, to sell tickets in the off season…nuff said!
Jim 22, people engaged in free enterprise are only interested in efficiency in every facet. Workers are only interested in being paid efficiently.
Never forget that workers took the jobs before they began complaining about the jobs.
And that government can regulate but not prohibit “guest workers.”
Interestingly, 5,000 applicants show up in lines that run for blocks when just one opening occurs at the fire or police dept. because they are so ridiculously overpaid. Open a shoe factory in Bangladesh and people will pray for a job (one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor).
Free enterprise has the right to hire, fire, direct and pay its helpers. Free helpers have the right to quit or strike. Free enterprise has the right to fire or replace its helpers.
Government has absolutely no constitutional authority to control freedom or free enterprise in any way. That would be according to the Preamble, Constitution, Bill of Rights and American practice in 1789 (full disclosure: In 1789, the Founders contemplated the end of slavery using the tools of freedom such as boycotts, ostracism and last wills and testaments – not war).
To be sure, creeping communism and the strengthening grip of the dictatorship since the forced imposition of the Federal Reserve, IRS, Roosevelt’s New Deal of “Free Stuff,” the 19th amendment, $22 trillion “War on Poverty,” etc. have sabotaged and undermined the American founding principles (did I forget to mention Lincoln’s unconstitutional “Reign of Terror?”).
Issac, I didn’t know Harry Reid was a Republican?
Jim 22, people engaged in free enterprise are only interested in efficiency in every facet. Workers are only interested in being paid efficiently. Never forget that workers took the jobs before they began complaining about the jobs. And that government can regulate but not control “guest workers.” Free enterprise has the right to hire, fire, direct and pay its helpers. Free helpers have the right to quit or strike. Free enterprise has the right to fire or replace its helpers. Government has absolutely no constitutional authority to control freedom or free enterprise in any way. That would be according to the Preamble, Constitution, Bill of Rights and American practice in 1789.