Questions still linger over Tom Brady’s involvement in ‘deflategate’

TOM Brady stood up in front of the world and said he had nothing to do with deflated balls. Tom Brady has subsequently been branded a liar.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks at a news conference in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015 where he addressed the issue of the NFL investigation of deflated footballs. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

TOM Brady stood up in front of the world and said he had nothing to do with the deflated balls that have overshadowed the build-up to Super Bowl XLIX and cast his New England Patriots as cheats.

Tom Brady has subsequently been branded a liar.

The Daily News take on ‘deflategate’.

“Deflategate” has become an inescapable subject for discussion after the NFL discovered that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 game balls were found to be under-inflated during their 45-7 AFC championship victory over Indianapolis Colts last weekend, a win that thrust them into February 1’s Super Bowl against defending champions Seattle Seahawks.

In the NFL, footballs for game-day are provided by the clubs, not the league.

Quarterbacks have an allocation of balls for every game, usually between 12 to 24 depending on if the game will be indoors or out and what type of weather is expected.

Clubs must hand over their chosen balls to officials for inspection, and if approved the balls are handed back two hours 15 minutes before kick-off.

Balls must be inflated between 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14-15 ounces (396-425 grams).

Under-inflated balls are easier to throw and catch, which would give a team an unfair advantage in offence.

Brady picked his balls during practice and they were given to referee Walt Anderson before the Colts match. Anderson marked each ball with a dot to indicate they met the required standards.

Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a Brady pass nine minutes before half-time and gave it to one of his team’s equipment managers to save for him as a “souvenir”.

It’s understood the equipment manager noticed the ball was under-inflated, and the issue was taken up the chain of command before officials tested the balls at half-time and found the discrepancy.

New England led 17-7 at the break.

They pumped up the 11 suspicious balls to the required specifications and gave them back to the Patriots.

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks to pass in the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2015 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.

Brady had a superb second half with the pumped up balls and marched his team to the big dance.

But later that night it emerged the NFL was conducting an investigation into the issue.

It has since been reported that the Baltimore Ravens may have tipped off the Colts to watch out for deflated balls because their kick returners noticed the balls felt softer during a game against the Patriots earlier this season.

Quarterbacks are so particular about the weight and feel of their footballs, so in tune with every leather stitch and groove, that it seemed highly unlikely Brady would claim he didn’t notice the difference, said to be up to two pounds per inch less than what is allowed — or only 84 per cent of the minimum weight required.

But that’s exactly what Brady said, after declaring he “didn’t alter the ball in any way”.

“I did not feel a difference between the first half and the second half when supposedly they were inflated to the original or even more inflated, I didn’t notice any difference,” Brady said.

Yet in the same press conference Brady admitted he likes his balls inflated to 12.5 ppi, the minimum standard. People are wondering how he can come to prefer that particular weight and feel, and then not notice when it changes.

The New York Post’s controversial ‘deflategate’ cover.

Former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell said on ESPN: “Somebody had to do it and I don’t believe that there’s an equipment manager in the NFL that would, on his own initiative, deflate a football without the starting quarterback’s approval. I just didn’t believe what Tom Brady had to say.”

Outspoken Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman, who lines up against Brady’s “Deflatriots” in the Super Bowl, said: “I think people sometimes get a skewed view of Tom Brady, that he’s just a clean-cut [guy], does everything right, never says a bad word to anyone, and we know him to be otherwise.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was fined $US500,000 by the NFL for having a staffer secretly record the New York Jets’ defensive calls during a game in 2007, distanced himself from this latest drama.

“Tom’s [Brady] personal preferences on his footballs are something he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide,” Belichick said.

“I could tell you that in my entire coaching career I have never talked to any player, staff member about football air pressure.”

Hall of Fame coach John Madden believes Brady was likely involved.

“Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to a football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing,” Madden said. “It would have to be the quarterback’s idea.”

If the Patriots are found guilty they could face big fines and the loss of draft picks.

Originally published as Questions still linger over Tom Brady’s involvement in ‘deflategate’