Schefter: NFL Having a Hard Time Finding Evidence of Tampering

This entire story has become a fiasco of epic proportions and just makes Goodell and his cronies look even more ridiculous than they already do. Has there been an official report that the footballs were under inflated or is the whole thing precipitated from Chris Mortensen's report from "sources" which will never be revealed. If the NFL is looking for evidence of wrongdoing, then why don't they show documented evidence that the officials actually put a gauge to the balls in question? And how ridiculous does the media look after the Brady press conference as they just kept peppering him with the same basic questions over and over. Was this the media's version of sitting him under a single light bulb and haranguing him until he cracks? It's just plain embarrassing. And why didn't Stacy James come out and escort Brady off instead of leaving him out there for a half an hour. I realize Brady said that James had said "last question" ten minutes prior to his exit, but come on--if you're the public relations guy, then do your job. I'm so sick of this entire story--let's talk about football and not footballs!

Gronkowski123 said:

why do i have this feeling that brady will get suspended? seems like the media wants this to happen now.
btw troy aikman is a ****ing jackass.

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Because you don't know what you're talking about and only post negative things about the Patriots?

reflexblue said:

I don't if this has been mentioned but if TB wants his balls inflated to the bare legal minimum then they could have easily dropped below league requirments going from a room temperature and sitting out one the sidelines.

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Better yet, inflate them in a very hot room to the minimum pressure, then bring them out afterwards into the cold and that will maximize the pressure drop. Add in the loss of air from inserting the testing gauge and bingo! Loss of 2 psi.

That scenario is both plausible and within the procedures as they currently are described.

Two points, nobody in the media brings up - and nobody brought up today. If you start at the minimum pressure, 12.5 PSI, how do they prevent the temp lose as the game goes on? For the ravens game, at that temp of something like 20 degrees, that would be a lose of close to 2.5 lbs by the end of the game. Does the NFL care? Can the NFL fine mother nature 25K?

Also, when the officials re-inflatted the balls, what did the inflate them to? Because whatever it was, Brady was on fire with that pressure and they should use that for the Superbowl!

Fixit said:

Even if Brady ordered the Code Red (which seems laughable at this point) ... why on Earth would he be suspended? Setting aside that he's the marquee player in the upcoming marquee game, he's never gotten in trouble with the league for anything prior to this theoretical worst-case scenario.

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Keeping in the Few Good Men theme, here's what I wish he had said.......
Did you order the Code Red??

media-*I want the truth!*


BB-You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a football world that has lines. And those lines have to be guarded by men with strength. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Kravitz? Lacanfora? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Goodell and you curse the Patriots. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that my actions, while tragic, probably won games . And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, wins championships...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that sideline. You need me on that sideline
We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very victories I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you put on a uniform, and stand on that line. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

mosi said:

Two points, nobody in the media brings up - and nobody brought up today. If you start at the minimum pressure, 12.5 PSI, how do they prevent the temp lose as the game goes on? For the ravens game, at that temp of something like 20 degrees, that would be a lose of close to 2.5 lbs by the end of the game. Does the NFL care? Can the NFL fine mother nature 25K?

Also, when the officials re-inflatted the balls, what did the inflate them to? Because whatever it was, Brady was on fire with that pressure and they should use that for the Superbowl!

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Best example is look at your car tires in winter. If you have an automatic pressure gauge it always registers lower in winter due to loss of pressure in cold weather.....

Well it does seem that most of the media is using other stories as evidence. Nobody seems to know what the hell happened and have no idea what they are talking about. Brady and BB saying they didn't do anything isn't somehow evidence that they are lying.

Notice how Mort's so-called "league sources" seem to have dried up? Hmmmm.

hwc said:

Notice how Mort's so-called "league sources" seem to have dried up? Hmmmm.

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Hopefully.

As others have mentioned, it's still up on ESPNBoston though.

Some of these "sources" are rather funny.

I will not be satisfied until Roger Goodell provides the exact inflation pressures of all 36 Pats and Colts game balls from 2.5 hours before game time when the NFL official measured them with a gauge. Or an admission that the inflation pressure, beyond a simple squeeze test, is not even important enough for the NFL to bother with its own procedures.

Lacking that data for the game balls, you can't even conclude that the pressure even dropped. They might well have been low when handed to the referee to test. The NFL game day operations is clear that it's the referees responsibility to check and adjust the pressure. The home team is required to present the balls AND a pump/gauge to the ref. If they were low to start, ALL of this has literally be much ado about NOTHING. And, I had to sit there and watch Tom Brady be asked how it feels to be a cheater...

I don't know 'bout yous guyz, but that make me pretty damn angry.

hwc said:

Notice how Mort's so-called "league sources" seem to have dried up? Hmmmm.

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Evidently, Mort's "source" was NEM's brother's doctor's sister-in-law's hairdresser's cousin.

(Joke that the older members here will get)

shmessy said:

Evidently, Mort's "source" was NEM's brother's doctor's sister-in-law's hairdresser's cousin.

(Joke that the older members here will get)

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Weiss did it!

hwc said:

Notice how Mort's so-called "league sources" seem to have dried up? Hmmmm.

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I'd hesitate to call Irsay "dry".

... and now there is evidence of COSMIC INFLATION

https://twitter.com/thescienceguy/status/445704387231768576

shmessy said:

Evidently, Mort's "source" was NEM's brother's doctor's sister-in-law's hairdresser's cousin.

(Joke that the older members here will get)

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I have a friend in Minsk,
Who has a friend in Pinsk,
Whose friend in Omsk
Has friend in Tomsk
With friend in Akmolinsk.
His friend in Alexandrovsk
Has friend in Petropavlovsk,
Whose friend somehow
Is solving now
The problem in Dnepropetrovsk.


And when his work is done -
Haha! - begins the fun.
From Dnepropetrovsk
To Petropavlovsk,
By way of Iliysk,
And Novorossiysk,
To Alexandrovsk to Akmolinsk
To Tomsk to Omsk
To Pinsk to Minsk
To me the news will run,
Yes, to me the news will run!

hwc said:

Notice how Mort's so-called "league sources" seem to have dried up? Hmmmm.

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Beginning to wonder if the NFL knew they had nothing from the onset..

Why did they release snippets of info to a news reporter in Indy who has vitriol for the Pats early Sunday AM??

Why did they dump info on the balls to Mort on Monday nite around 11:00 PM?? We still do not know if the 2 pounds under regulation meant that they were 10.5 PSI or 11.5 PSI.. that very specific info has deliberately been left out.

Yesterday Brady said he was not even contacted by the NFL...

The Colts contacted the league office on 11/16, why did it take so long to do something.. was their more drama in the AFC Championship game?? Why didn't they check the balls prior to the game??

The paranoid part of myself makes me believe that the NFL did not have their shyt together on this matter..

DarrylS said:

Beginning to wonder if the NFL knew they had nothing from the onset..

Why did they release snippets of info to a news reporter in Indy who has vitriol for the Pats early Sunday AM??

Why did they dump info on the balls to Mort on Monday nite around 11:00 PM?? We still do not know if the 2 pounds under regulation meant that they were 10.5 PSI or 11.5 PSI.. that very specific info has deliberately been left out.

Yesterday Brady said he was not even contacted by the NFL...

The Colts contacted the league office on 11/16, why did it take so long to do something.. was their more drama in the AFC Championship game?? Why didn't they check the balls prior to the game??

The paranoid part of myself makes me believe that the NFL did not have their shyt together on this matter..

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After the smug tweets that Jim Isray posted, I have to assume he is the source for multiple mediots, including the dumb ass that kicked this whole thing off.

@JimIrsay ....Talk of days,of how they sit and wait.........all will be revealed....

I can't buy into the entire timeline with the NFL either. Why would they let the Patriots play a playoff game with such an 'advantage' before making their move? About a quarter of a season too. That's incompetence beyond even Goodell.. I would think anyway. The guy really keeps surprising me with his incompetence with each passing NFL controversy.

The Patriots did not deflate any game-balls. The lack of evidence points in that direction.

Why would BB & TB have open press conferences if they knew they had culpability? If they were responsible for tampering with footballs they would keep their mouths shut and make the NFL prove it.

Vincent said on Tuesday the NFL would wrap this up in 2 - 3 days................. They haven't spoke with Brady, Jackson is telling the press that the Pats used Colts game balls in the 2nd quarter and he didn't notice anything unusual. Plus ESPN is now reporting the NFL's investigation is stymied and they do not have an explanation for what took place. If the NFL doesn't have answers by now - they will be forced to drop the issue.

The NFL front office is humiliating themselves with "Deflategate". They claim they knew ahead of time there was a ball issue and they sit there 5 days after the game without a response?

Robert Kraft should demand an immediate public airing of grievances by the NFL front office. His franchise is being ripped apart because of jealousy and envy. Kraft is the one that should demand suspensions, fines and firings!

If they've rule out the weather and doctoring that leaves only 1 plausible reason, that nobody has mentioned: manufacturing error.

The rubber bladder of the ball might have had a fault, the stitching of the leather may not have been tight enough etc.