Purpose: To determine if Tom Brady had 11 of 12 footballs deflated below NFL regulations.
Why Tom Brady Is Guilty
The crux of this accusal is 11 of 12 footballs were deflated under the set NFL guidelines, after they were deemed at 12.5 psi by the games referees. We don’t know how these footballs became deflated, but we do know that they registered below 12.5 psi when they were checked at halftime of the AFC championship game.
The fact that Tom Brady benefits the most by having the football under regulated psi, he is under the most scrutiny. It would affect him the most and he would gain the greatest advantage with an under inflated football. To suggest somehow that someone else would deflate the footballs without the order from Tom Brady would venture into conspiracy theory. While Tom Brady had a press conference and denied that he had anything to do with the deflated footballs, these are the reasons we don’t believe him.
According to a report by Sharp Football Analysis says the Average team fumbles every 105 plays. The Patriots average 187, the next closest team is 140. Colin Cowherd tells us that if you listen to Vegas they will tell you that turnovers are very often arbitrary and if a team has a lot of turnovers the previous year, it will likely equal themselves out the next year. For an outdoor team that often plays in inclement weather the deflated football is the reason for the outlier.
Tom Brady is notorious for his attention to detail. Like his coach, he spends countless hours watching tape and preparing to play his best. He commits himself to perform to the best of his ability and tactics that help him he implements. In his press conference he stated he preferred his football at 12.5 psi, he said it is perfect. Clearly the game footballs used in the 1st half were under inflated. If he preferred an exact 12.5 psi than he would have said something when he handled the football and it wasn’t “perfect”. An artist likes his tools a certain way and when they aren’t he is the first one to notice. If 12.5 psi is perfect, why wouldn’t he notice and demand a ball at 12.5 psi.
To believe that Tom Brady’s perfect ball is 12.5 psi it would fly in the face of an interview he had earlier when he admitted he likes a deflated football. “When Gronk scores… he spikes the ball and he deflates the ball. I love that, because I like the deflated ball.
A football attendant was seen going into a bathroom with the footballs and 90 seconds later was leaving the bathroom. A bathroom is the only secure place that a ball boy could go without cameras. Also, as has been proven, this is more than enough time to deflate 11 footballs, with a bag and all.
Multiple QB’s have all said that the footballs are only going to be prepared the way that the QB wants them prepared. No one is going to change them. There is a long line of all ex-NFL players that believe that he isn’t being honest. Some of these include Joe Montana, Mark Brunnell, Troy Aikman, Jerome Bettis, Brian Dawkins, Chris Canni, and Frank Tarkelton.
In short Brady is lying and had something to do with the deflation of the 11 footballs in the AFC Championship.
Why Tom Brady Is Telling the Truth
There are a lot of people claiming that Tom Brady is lying. There has yet to be anyone that has produced evidence that is more than circumstantial. We know that 11 of 12 footballs were deflated. But, exactly by how much and the criteria in which they were deflated we still don’t know. All evidence seems pretty circumstantial and there is no “smoking” gun.
It is a fact that you use a formula to figure out pressure. One of these variables is temperature and a change in temperature will in fact change the pressure. If is scientifically evident that the pressure in the footballs can change due to a change in temperature. Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi. Andrew Luck may in fact like his footballs more than the 12.5 psi. If this is the case that it would make sense why the footballs for the Colts weren’t deflated under the regulated pressure.
The NFL has a procedure to check the footballs before the game. They inspect and check the pressure of the footballs to see if they are regulation. It isn’t the quarterbacks job to make sure that the pressure in the football is regulation. It is the referee’s job to make sure that the footballs are qualified. They have procedures to prevent people from messing with the footballs.
Also, Tom Brady has given a press conference stating that he didn’t do anything to the footballs to deflate them. He stated that he had nothing to do with the deflation of footballs. His word should count for something. Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft came out strong defying the league to prove that they did something wrong. The fact that they have drawn a line in the sand and challenged the league to find wrong doing, shows that they in fact haven’t done anything wrong and support the fact that Tom Brady isn’t lying.
Opinon
I think that the way that footballs are prepared has been pretty loose in the league. Tom Brady likes his footballs a little lower than regulated psi. I think that the Patriots had their footballs prepared like they always do and that they normally have them a little lower in psi. I think the referees checked the footballs by squeezing them and not by actually testing them with a psi monitor. I think the temperature changes the psi. Maybe not lbs of psi, but enough to be able to test a difference. I think this is the case of the NFL not managing the process close enough, and getting caught when the public has an outrage. It’s the referees job to make sure that balls are at 12.5 psi. If they don’t do their job then maybe the Patriots were able to have a football a little lower in psi. This isn’t a case where the Patriots are taking corners, but the NFL taking corners.
Research
Charles P. Pierce; Felice J. Freyer; Ben Volin; John Breech; Paul Newberry; Roxanne Jones; Colin Cowherd; Bill Simmons