"DeflateGate" Update: Suspension Upheld! Brady Accepts 4 Game Ban.

[JO_75]

The NFL has issued a statement regarding this and the investigation remains "ongoing".

 

The NFL issued a statement Friday on "DeflateGate," saying it's been determined that footballs used by the Patriots in the second half of Sunday's AFC Championship Game were properly inflated, but footballs used by the Patriots in the first half were "under-inflated."

 

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/nfl/306279/nfl-issues-friday-statement-on-deflategate

[PerpetuallyBored74]

An interesting look at the Patriots fumble rates over the last few years (Hint: they have the highest––by far––of outdoors teams):

 

http://www.advancedfootballanalytics.com/index.php/home/research/general/224-the-patriots-have-great-ball-security?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter 

 

"...NE's big improvement in fumble rate occurred in '07, precisely when the NFL's rule allowing visiting teams to bring their own balls went into effect. Other teams didn't have such good fortune."

 

 

Hmmm...

[ratedr]

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/curran-do-we-have-john-harbaugh-thank

 

The conspiracy theories are flying in New England. LOL.

[Inqui]

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/curran-do-we-have-john-harbaugh-thank

The conspiracy theories are flying in New England. LOL.

That's five minutes of my life I want back.

[ratedr]

You are nuts for even looking at that site.

 

I saw it on Twitter, couldn't resist clicking the link.

 

That's five minutes of my life I want back.

 

I'm actually a bit flattered that they're somehow still concerned with the Ravens at a time like this. LOL.

[ravensfan160]

I read that two nights ago Crush, it was really interesting as the data, all though not completely conclusive, does seem to point to a direct correlation to their fumble rate with possible cheating as it relates to underinflated football usage.  The percentages were staggering.

The more we learn the angrier I get. Two things had better happen.

 

1) Seattle better beat the Patriots

 

2) A minimum Bountygate level of punishment including suspensions and multiple high draft picks.

 

 

The NFL certainly has the ability to do their own statistical analysis. While this sort of thing would qualify as circumstantial evidence, enough circumstantial evidence can be enough to get someone convicted in the court of law. I see no reason why it can't convict someone like Belicheat given his record. He better not get off just because they don't find any hard evidence.

Edited January 24, 2015 by ravensfan160

[ratedr]

Interesting link to a vid I saw on Twitter...apparently Flacco knows when a football isn't quite right:

 

[furi0usbee]

Pats fan here. No question Brady had his footballs inflated lower than 12.5 PSI. Here is the problem. I don't think the refs did much more than pick them up and touch them before the game, signing off on all of them. Unless and until the NFL comes out and says they have the weights/PSI of each of those pre-game balls, this may be a case of presenting under-inflated balls in hopes they get in. Now, that still is against the rules, and I'm not for that. However, that is MUCH different than tampering with footballs AFTER the refs have already inspected them.

 

I feel Brady and Belichick already lied to me, so I would be fine (no pun intended) with big fines for them. However, with what we know now, and until the NFL can show the balls were properly checked before the game, and can give us the numbers, all we have is that balls were under-inflated during the game. Therefore, there is nothing more I would do to Patriots/Brady/Belichick at this point, with what we know.

 

Now, lets say the NFL comes back with numbers for all the balls prior to kickoff, and can show that there is no way possible those balls could ever reach the PSI which they ended up with, then it would be clear to me that Patriots did tamper with the balls. If that's the case, and unless they can find the person who did it, and on what orders, I would suspend Brady 4 games and Belichick 8 games and fine the Patriots $1M, and another $1M which would be returned in 5 years if no further violations occurred.

 

Now here is the part that could *really* get people mad, mostly people outside of New England. I don't have faith in the NFL at this point, from all the issues it has had this past year. But what if the refs totally blew the pre-game inspection, so there are no true numbers of the PSI prior to kickoff? All they now have is Brady and Belichick saying 12.5PSI is what they used. If those final numbers are not over 2PSI, and say maybe half the balls are 1PSI and less than 2PSI under, how much of that will they chalk up to environment?

 

But no conspiracy here, but the NFL cannot screw up another investigation. So someone has to get fined here, and if they do have evidence, then I don't mind somebody getting suspended. But I think the Patriots know the NFL really has nothing, which is why Bill and Tom are saying nothing. By repeating the 12.5 number, they then have leeway to say maybe the balls could have been maybe 11.5-12PSI, and they wanted them on the lighter side, but they tried to conform, etc. So if they really end up saying that yes, they did fill them to around 12PSI, then the NFL really needs like 10 PSI balls to make a case.

 

But yeah, if the Patriots presented under-inflated balls, that's not right. But if they tampered with balls post-inspection, that should draw fines and suspensions next year. The NFL is not going to touch the Super Bowl, and that's why I think they are waiting until after that game to make any determination, as to not start another firestorm.

 

Any way you put it, it sucks for Patriots fans like me, who DO NOT want them to cheat and just want them to go out and play. I mean, with that talent of players, why would you even think about cheating? I'm also getting sick of Belichick staining this team.

[Grapple Raven]

Found this interesting as well:  http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12207276

 

Rut roh! lol

[Tank 92]

Pats fan here. No question Brady had his footballs inflated lower than 12.5 PSI. Here is the problem. I don't think the refs did much more than pick them up and touch them before the game, signing off on all of them. Unless and until the NFL comes out and says they have the weights/PSI of each of those pre-game balls, this may be a case of presenting under-inflated balls in hopes they get in. Now, that still is against the rules, and I'm not for that. However, that is MUCH different than tampering with footballs AFTER the refs have already inspected them.

 

I feel Brady and Belichick already lied to me, so I would be fine (no pun intended) with big fines for them. However, with what we know now, and until the NFL can show the balls were properly checked before the game, and can give us the numbers, all we have is that balls were under-inflated during the game. Therefore, there is nothing more I would do to Patriots/Brady/Belichick at this point, with what we know.

 

Now, lets say the NFL comes back with numbers for all the balls prior to kickoff, and can show that there is no way possible those balls could ever reach the PSI which they ended up with, then it would be clear to me that Patriots did tamper with the balls. If that's the case, and unless they can find the person who did it, and on what orders, I would suspend Brady 4 games and Belichick 8 games and fine the Patriots $1M, and another $1M which would be returned in 5 years if no further violations occurred.

 

Now here is the part that could *really* get people mad, mostly people outside of New England. I don't have faith in the NFL at this point, from all the issues it has had this past year. But what if the refs totally blew the pre-game inspection, so there are no true numbers of the PSI prior to kickoff? All they now have is Brady and Belichick saying 12.5PSI is what they used. If those final numbers are not over 2PSI, and say maybe half the balls are 1PSI and less than 2PSI under, how much of that will they chalk up to environment?

 

But no conspiracy here, but the NFL cannot screw up another investigation. So someone has to get fined here, and if they do have evidence, then I don't mind somebody getting suspended. But I think the Patriots know the NFL really has nothing, which is why Bill and Tom are saying nothing. By repeating the 12.5 number, they then have leeway to say maybe the balls could have been maybe 11.5-12PSI, and they wanted them on the lighter side, but they tried to conform, etc. So if they really end up saying that yes, they did fill them to around 12PSI, then the NFL really needs like 10 PSI balls to make a case.

 

But yeah, if the Patriots presented under-inflated balls, that's not right. But if they tampered with balls post-inspection, that should draw fines and suspensions next year. The NFL is not going to touch the Super Bowl, and that's why I think they are waiting until after that game to make any determination, as to not start another firestorm.

 

Any way you put it, it sucks for Patriots fans like me, who DO NOT want them to cheat and just want them to go out and play. I mean, with that talent of players, why would you even think about cheating? I'm also getting sick of Belichick staining this team.

Appreciate the honest post, although I'm not completely following your logic. Why would it be different if the balls were improperly inflated prior to the check, or deflated after? The only difference I could see is the refs screwed up not catching them, but cheating is cheating. And the theory that the "environment" could have caused the deflation doesn't hold water. If that were the case the colts' balls would, at the least, have been out of range as well.

To paraphrase your comment, this sucks for Ravens fans like me, because you can be sure they cheated in some way in the previous game. And I wouldn't just be sick of belicheat, but also that lying scum bag brady. It's pretty obvious that he has endorsed and taken full advantage of any and all of this teams shenanigans. The fact that he presents himself publicly as a "role model" for fair play is disgusting.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

Tom Brady Deflated Bag of Scum .......  honestly people who play the richard sherman being full of himself as why they root for the patriots......  This story settles it  ....common sense..

[ravensdfan]

Pats fan here. No question Brady had his footballs inflated lower than 12.5 PSI. Here is the problem. I don't think the refs did much more than pick them up and touch them before the game, signing off on all of them. Unless and until the NFL comes out and says they have the weights/PSI of each of those pre-game balls, this may be a case of presenting under-inflated balls in hopes they get in. Now, that still is against the rules, and I'm not for that. However, that is MUCH different than tampering with footballs AFTER the refs have already inspected them.

 

I feel Brady and Belichick already lied to me, so I would be fine (no pun intended) with big fines for them. However, with what we know now, and until the NFL can show the balls were properly checked before the game, and can give us the numbers, all we have is that balls were under-inflated during the game. Therefore, there is nothing more I would do to Patriots/Brady/Belichick at this point, with what we know.

 

Now, lets say the NFL comes back with numbers for all the balls prior to kickoff, and can show that there is no way possible those balls could ever reach the PSI which they ended up with, then it would be clear to me that Patriots did tamper with the balls. If that's the case, and unless they can find the person who did it, and on what orders, I would suspend Brady 4 games and Belichick 8 games and fine the Patriots $1M, and another $1M which would be returned in 5 years if no further violations occurred.

 

Now here is the part that could *really* get people mad, mostly people outside of New England. I don't have faith in the NFL at this point, from all the issues it has had this past year. But what if the refs totally blew the pre-game inspection, so there are no true numbers of the PSI prior to kickoff? All they now have is Brady and Belichick saying 12.5PSI is what they used. If those final numbers are not over 2PSI, and say maybe half the balls are 1PSI and less than 2PSI under, how much of that will they chalk up to environment?

 

But no conspiracy here, but the NFL cannot screw up another investigation. So someone has to get fined here, and if they do have evidence, then I don't mind somebody getting suspended. But I think the Patriots know the NFL really has nothing, which is why Bill and Tom are saying nothing. By repeating the 12.5 number, they then have leeway to say maybe the balls could have been maybe 11.5-12PSI, and they wanted them on the lighter side, but they tried to conform, etc. So if they really end up saying that yes, they did fill them to around 12PSI, then the NFL really needs like 10 PSI balls to make a case.

 

But yeah, if the Patriots presented under-inflated balls, that's not right. But if they tampered with balls post-inspection, that should draw fines and suspensions next year. The NFL is not going to touch the Super Bowl, and that's why I think they are waiting until after that game to make any determination, as to not start another firestorm.

 

Any way you put it, it sucks for Patriots fans like me, who DO NOT want them to cheat and just want them to go out and play. I mean, with that talent of players, why would you even think about cheating? I'm also getting sick of Belichick staining this team.

You're correct in the difference between prior to checking them and tampering with them after being different in our eyes. However, both things break the rules period.

The NFL already outlined the ball check and what happened in their statement. The balls were all checked properly, checked at half-time and 11 of 12 were over 2 psi underinflated. Someone tampered with those footballs. That doesn't happen without Brady and/or Bellicheck giving the okay.

[GrimCoconut]

I really wonder what's going to happen, and I'm not talking league punishment. I have to say, after two scandals leading to degrading the integrity of the game in the eyes of the public, I wonder if this could be the final straw for Belichick as the NE HC. They also had that drama surrounding Hernandez a while back as well.

It also makes me question the future of Tom, whether by his choice or not, in New England--especially with Grap on the team.

Times could be changing as soon as next year for the Patriots.

[furi0usbee]

The NFL already outlined the ball check and what happened in their statement. The balls were all checked properly, checked at half-time and 11 of 12 were over 2 psi underinflated. Someone tampered with those footballs. That doesn't happen without Brady and/or Bellicheck giving the okay.

 

The NFL has *never* stated that the balls were gauged and that the have empirical data showing the PSI of each of the balls prior to kickoff. That information *may* exist and will be released by the NFL, but that's now what we know at this point.

 

And to the point of the another poster, presenting under/over inflated balls is trying to skirt rules. Right, no. But the NFL has a job to do here, and it's there job to properly check the balls the Patriots have presented. Like Aaron Rodgers said, he likes over-inflated balls, and he doesn't like when the refs deflate some of his balls, but some get caught, some get through. Now, if the rule stated "you cannot present any ball to the official that is not at least 12.5 PSI and at most 13.5 PSI, that's something different.

 

Believe me, on the drive home from my father's house Monday morning, and first hearing of this story, I was furious. I was ready to take my 3 SB balls and kick them over Gillette. I was that mad. Based on the tweet and what people were saying, I assumed it was black and white and the evidence was there. Problem is, we know nothing from the NFL other than balls were under inflated. We have heard the Patriots say they like 12.5 PSI, which is the only thing they can say to counter any deflation issues. When the NFL presents its evidence, and there is tampering.... I'll be the first to come on here and call them cheaters.

 

But I think there was NO TAMPERING. Patriots presented balls probably 11-11.5 PSI. At that point, it's up to the NFL/refs to say, GOOD, BAD, GOOD, BAD, etc. The rules say the balls must be 12.5/13.5 PSI, not that the Patriots have to present them at that PSI or verify they are at proper PSI. Is that playing loose with the rules? Is that finding a loophole in the text/spirit of the rule? Yes, probably. But that's how rules get changed and clarified/updated.

 

I'll be the first to say Belichick doesn't play fair, he plays to win. I never want to play fair. If I can over-power my opponent, I will do so. But I never want to cheat. Playing fair and cheating are really not the same. Beating the Colts 45-7 is not playing fair. That's taking every advantage against your opponent and beating them as much as you can. Presenting under-inflated balls is not playing fair, that's trying to gain an edge, and letting the NFL/refs sort it out.

 

Tampering with balls is NOT playing fair, not right, and cheating. I know I'm not going to get any sympathy from anyone on here, but just know that I'm not a blind Patriots fan. I hate these Pats fans who say the balls didn't matter anyway, as we won going away. If they tampered with footballs, winning by 100 doesn't mean anything, and could possibly be a factor in why a team won going away.

 

That's pretty much all I have to say on this until the NFL comes out with evidence. Any more talk is just making stuff up, so I prefer to wait for the other side. The defense has spoken, now let's here the prosecution.

[berad]

Brady's a gigantic liar. Can't feel the football, really? But also knows he likes them right at 12.5 PSI? Seems contradictory for me, they were said minutes apart from each other.

All NFL QBs, former and current, who have talked on the topic say that they know when the footballs are off and they have precise game-ball requirements. Ratedr showed that clip of Flacco pointing out the refs had mistakenly put down a 49ers ball during the SB...

Belichick, don't believe him either. His opening statement was him reading a script and the rest of the presser was:

BB: I've told you everything I know.

BB: I have no explanation for what happened.

BB: None of them are involved in this.

http://www.patriots.com/news/article-1/Patriots-Quotes-122-Bill-Belichick-Tom-Brady-and-more/633fa243-66b9-403e-8171-ecc9116cb5ac

[Tank 92]

 

 

That's pretty much all I have to say on this until the NFL comes out with evidence. Any more talk is just making stuff up, so I prefer to wait for the other side. The defense has spoken, now let's here the prosecution.

 

 

dude, they both lied through there teeth. Why would they lie if there was nothing to hide.  Brady even had the nerve to say that he was all about fair play, while he was lying. Ain't that enough to prove that they are cheats and scum bags? 

[Archeearl92]

its getting more boring by the minute ... this whole investigation is a joke

[DomMcRaven]

its getting more boring by the minute ... this whole investigation is a joke

Oh it is. It's gonna be nothing but speculation until the Super Bowl is over.

[ratedr]

its getting more boring by the minute ... this whole investigation is a joke

Agreed, nothing will come of it in the end.

The NFL doesn't want to be too hasty though. Lord knows they've screwed up enough this year.

[Ravenatic20]

Anyone watching this conference?  It's all smoke and mirrors!

[Ravenatic20]

Belicheat is basically blaming "climate conditions" for the deflation of the footballs.  Hasn't explained why the Colts footballs were not impacted by this!

[berad]

Belicheat is basically blaming "climate conditions" for the deflation of the footballs.  Hasn't explained why the Colts footballs were not impacted by this!

Especially because it was 51 degrees when the game started. Keep fishing, Belichick!

http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/56500/NE_Gamebook.pdf

[ratedr]

"@mikefreemanNFL: Do you need to be a student at Ball So Hard University to understand this?"

Love this tweet about Bill's presser, lol.

[Gordo52]

That Mona Lisa Vito reference though.

[Gordo52]

Belicheck is so full of it

[berad]

Need to watch this presser, sounds like it was a hoot

[allblackraven]

Load of nothing and more lies. No credibility.

 

"I handled dozens of balls last two days and I can't tell the difference of 0.5 or 1 pound / ^2 inch"

 

But it was 2lbs and your quarterback certainly can.

[Moderator 3]

I thought he did a credible job of explaining 1 PSI of difference. The problem as I understand it is there was a 2 PSI difference for them and none for the Colts. He did also drop hints that it might have been the officials themselves that caused this and repeatedly said he doesn't know what they do. Also dropped in some "different gauges" stuff.

Flat out lied when he said they don't push the line on rules, though.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

Bilichek just showed one thing to me he thinks NFL fans are lacking intellect......... I think he is lacking something else end communication ..,..

[furi0usbee]

dude, they both lied through there teeth. Why would they lie if there was nothing to hide.  Brady even had the nerve to say that he was all about fair play, while he was lying. Ain't that enough to prove that they are cheats and scum bags? 

 

But lying about what? Lying about presenting under-inflated balls to the refs, or lying about tampering with the footballs after the refs inspected them? See, that's the problem. The former gets a slap on the wrist whereas the latter should involve fines and suspensions and loss of draft picks.

 

I will be on your side if tampering was involved. But if all the Patriots did was present under-inflated balls to be inspected, and the NFL/refs didn't do their job inspecting them, the rules don't say the team must present balls 12.5 - 13.5 PSI. And let's take Brady at his work that he used 12.5PSI, which I don't believe him by the way, if they did present at 12.5PSI, even with the 50 degrees temps, the balls would be under the NFL rules. So even if the ball was *legal* at inspection, the ball would be out of spec at halftime. So that's a problem the NFL will have to figure out regardless of the outcome of this case.