Earlier in the week we discussed the potential rumors of how the New England Patriots cheated their way into the Super Bowl this year. Well it turns out suspicions were correct and that 11 out of the 12 balls were indeed deflated.
For every home game, a team is required to provide 12 NFL approved footballs, along with an extra 12 as backup. If the New England Patriots were trying to be sneaky by playing with under-inflated balls well they did a very poor job at it because the balls were 2 pounds lighter then they were supposed to be. The normal ball is supposed to weigh anywhere from 12.5 to 13.5 pounds.
This whole situation is not a coincidence especially since the Patriots have been accused of cheating in the past, if one or two balls were under weight than they would have a leg to stand on, but things are not looking good for the team, who has yet to release a statement about the ordeal.
If the investigation discovers that the Patriots are guilty the team could be stripped of their AFC championship and their spot in the Super Bowl, and many will criticize quarterback Tom Brady, who is the one who should have noticed that the balls were underweight all along.
The underweight balls could make it easier for the quarterback, Tom Brady, to throw, and for receivers to catch, and could have potentially been the explanation for the landslide score that resulted from the game last Sunday.
The referees and officials in New England could also be guilty of this because the normal game day football protocol according to the rulebook states, “The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.”
Head referee, Walt Anderson was supposed to be in charge of checking the balls 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to the game, and if any environmental conditions were to blame the same thing would have happened to the Colts balls, but they were up to standard.
Photo: AP
