Yet when it was all over, no one could say for sure if Deflategate actually happened. A reasonable person could be left thinking that the investigation itself was the true scandal. I spent a year washing dishes and scrubbing toilets. Then I landed a job in Atlanta coaching elite girls’ football. As I had played in college, they waived the training requirements for me. I loved my team and I soon got used to a life of privilege again. Football became about winning – about having the best and being the best, above anything else. Patriots fans rode through ups and downs with Brady for two decades, but perhaps no trial was greater than the Deflategate scandal of 2014— an exhaustive investigation into accusations of illegally deflating footballs that dominatedlocal and national sports mediafor the better part of two years.

A deflated football has a smaller mass because it has fewer gas molecules inside of it. Assuming that the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), the mass of the air in a football inflated to 12.5 psi is about 0.39 ounces (11 g). A football deflated to only 10 psi has a mass of 0.36 ounces (10.2 g). The difference is about the weight of a paper clip, Eads said. At the same time, we will continue our efforts vigorously to protect the integrity of the game," he said. Keeney, Tim (September 3, 2015). "Full Text of Judge Richard Berman's Tom Brady Ruling". Heavy.com . Retrieved April 22, 2016. Leonard pointed out inconsistencies in the Exponent report regarding the effect of wetness on volume, and cited a study by Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Thomas Healy that showed as much as a three-percent increase in volume if the balls are wet. [65] Leonard agreed with previous analysis that showed slowed warming when the balls were kept in a bag—something that he claims that the Exponent reports ignored. He also detailed technical failures of the transient analysis in the Exponent report, which did not show a slower rate of warming for wet balls. Leonard argued that the Exponent report contained incorrect "amplitudes" in some graphs that underrepresented the total warming of both the Colts' and Patriots' balls. [66] Sanctions by the NFL and appeals [ edit ] Tom Brady Dan Wetzel (January 22, 2015). "Most troubling news out of Tom Brady's deflate-gate comments: NFL hasn't talked to QB". Yahoo! Sports.RELATED: Eye-popping numbers give Tom Brady multiple NFL records, some of which may never be broken What is Deflategate? A game-used ball was tested at halftime— an unprecedented occurrence at thetime— and a years-long investigation and legal battle ensued. A new NFL ordinance has since been adopted that games can be randomly selected to have footballs removed at halftime and analyzed.

Nocera, Joe (January 22, 2016). "True Scandal of Deflategate Lies in the N.F.L.'s Behavior". The New York Times . Retrieved September 24, 2016. The 2007 Spygate incident, in which the Patriots were sanctioned for positioning a video camera in an unapproved location to film an opponent's defensive signals in violation of a memo was sent to the NFL teams [122] that had misstated the applicable rules. [123] However, the Patriots have denied any wrongdoing. immediately after the game, and again throughout the week. So if the balls are deflated - did both teams gain an advantage? New York's Daily News tells a gag on behalf of millions of immature souls everywhere On May 19, Kraft told media at an NFL owners' meeting that he did not plan to appeal the penalties. Kraft's decision had no impact on the NFLPA's appeal on behalf of Brady. Patriots fans held a "Free Brady" rally at Gillette Stadium on May 26, 2015. [80] [81] News reports say that 11 of the 12 game balls used by the New England Patriots in their AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts were deflated, showing about 2 pounds per square inch (psi) less pressure than the 13 psi required by the rules, so it seems that the most bizarre sports scandal of recent memory is real. But there are still plenty of questions: why would a team deflate footballs? Could there be another explanation? And most importantly, what does physics tell us about all this?

Look After Your Footballs

DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (May 12, 2015). "Barstool Sports employees arrested during sit-in at NFL offices". Boston.com. The Boston Globe . Retrieved May 13, 2015. Scott Sheaffer. "The Truth About Spygate: Punishing Success and Promoting Parity". Bleacher Report.

The independence of Wells and Paul, Weiss & Co. has been questioned, notably by Mike Florio, as has an apparent conflict of interest: Lorin Reisner, who worked on the Wells Report, served as the attorney who cross-examined Brady at the appeal hearing on behalf of the NFL, and Wells asserted attorney–client privilege during the hearing. [100] U.S. District Court vacates suspension [ edit ]Bieler, Des (January 22, 2015). "Mark Brunell and other ex-players crushed Tom Brady on ESPN". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved December 3, 2015. Manfred, Tony (January 21, 2015). "Why Using Deflated Footballs Gave The Patriots A Huge Advantage". businessinsider.com. Business Insider . Retrieved December 29, 2020.

Whether they were deflated by fair means or foul, one thing is clear: according to the NFL’s internal investigation, 11 out of 12 balls used in Sunday’s championship game were underinflated. Will the reasons—and ramifications—force other teams to up their inflation game? That’s anyone’s guess, but it's safe to bet that Super Bowl parties will be abuzz with inflation speculation. It was then that the matter of ball pressure first came up, conversations were had and officials got involved.

How to Deflate a Football in 5 Easy Steps?

Many Patriots fans and New England media members assailed the report for its ambiguous allegations, including phrases such as "more probable than not" and "generally aware" in relation to Brady's knowledge of the situation, and the report's minimization of the NFL's wrongdoing in relation to the air pressure of the footballs. [40] Many New England fans were furious at ESPN, especially at Chris Mortensen, for broadcasting news stories that were seen as painting the Patriots in a negative light. [41] Mark Brunell and Jerome Bettis strongly criticized Brady on ESPN, saying that based on their playing experience, it was unlikely that the balls had been underinflated without Brady's awareness. [42] Jay Busbee (February 3, 2015). "Falcons' Arthur Blank on crowd noise: 'What we've done ... is wrong' ". Yahoo! Sports.