A quick review of some of the facts:
(1) The Patriots' footballs in the AFCCG were measured, on average, either 11.49 or 11.11 psi, depending on which gauge was used. That's a difference of 0.38 psi, on average, between the two gauges.
(2) If you go with the higher (logo) gauge, the footballs were measured precisely within the range that the Wells report itself said the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted. If you go with the lower (non-logo) gauge, then lo and behold, it turns out that the Colts were playing with under inflated footballs too, as three of the four Colts' footballs were measured at 12.35 psi or lower. On average between the two gauges, the Patriots' 11 footballs were measured at 11.30, at the lower end, but within range, of what the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted.
(3) If we assume that the non-logo gauge was used, then the Patriots' footballs were approximately 0.2 psi under inflated, on average. 0.2 psi. Now, ESPN's sports science did a story on this and three very important facts came out:
· That ball (under-inflated by 2 psi) leaving Brady’s hand at 50 MPH and traveling 20 yards would arrive at the receiver .003 per second slower. In other words, Advantage: Defensive back.
· About that argument that the lower pressure makes the ball extra squishy and therefore easier to grip? The compression on a football measures one millimeter.
· The weight difference between a 10.5 PSI and a 12.5 PSI ball is less than the weight of a dollar bill.
Think about that for a moment. They did the story based on 2 psi difference. Why did they assume that number? We'll get to that in the next point. But the difference of 2 psi in a football is about the weight of a dollar bill. How much does a dollar bill weigh? According to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a dollar bill weighs about 4 grams. But the Pats' footballs, using the non-logo gauge, were not 2 psi low. They were 0.2 psi lower than what the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted. That means the footballs Brady was throwing were, on average, 0.4 grams lighter than they "should" have been. Four-tenths of a gram. This is the approximate weight of a toothpick. No joke.
All of this is over the difference of the weight of a toothpick.
Moreover, 0.2 psi is LESS than the discrepancy between the two gauges. So the margin of error between the two gauges is greater than the 0.2 psi the lower gauge gave as the difference between the Patriots' footballs and the lower limit predicted by the Ideal Gas Law.
Unbelievable.
(4) Now, to answer the question in the previous point about why ESPN's sports science assumed a 2 psi difference. This is because of Mortensen's tweet and subsequent story that 11 of the 12 Patriots' footballs were measured at 2 psi under the limit. This is what set the entire NFL world ablaze in fury. It was backed up by a letter that the NFL sent the Patriots along the same lines. So when Brady had his awkward press conference before the Super Bowl, it was THIS understanding that he had in mind. No wonder he was befuddled, wondering just what the heck was going on, and why he said he didn't *think* he was cheating.
As we know, that tweet and story was egregiously wrong. And the NFL knew it. In fact, they later told the Patriots the correct numbers - a long, long time later - but only under the condition that they not make the actual numbers public. Earlier, before the Super Bowl, Mike Florio pressed the NFL five times to give him the real numbers to report in the Super Bowl pregame and the NFL refused. So the NFL leaked to Mortensen erroneous numbers, did not correct it, refused to give Florio the correct numbers, and then when they finally gave the Patriots the correct numbers, the Patriots weren't allowed to make those numbers public. Why on earth would the NFL be so interested in false, misleading, and utterly damning information to remain out there, when they had every opportunity to correct it?
Tom Brady may end up losing this case and may lose 4 games and nearly $2 million, and suffer incalculable damage to his reputation and legacy. And the Patriots franchise lost $1 million, and 1st and 4th round draft picks in 2016. All over false information spread deliberately by the NFL, and over 0.2 pounds of pressure in a football. The weight of a toothpick.
There has never been a more ridiculous set of circumstances in sports history.
(1) The Patriots' footballs in the AFCCG were measured, on average, either 11.49 or 11.11 psi, depending on which gauge was used. That's a difference of 0.38 psi, on average, between the two gauges.
(2) If you go with the higher (logo) gauge, the footballs were measured precisely within the range that the Wells report itself said the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted. If you go with the lower (non-logo) gauge, then lo and behold, it turns out that the Colts were playing with under inflated footballs too, as three of the four Colts' footballs were measured at 12.35 psi or lower. On average between the two gauges, the Patriots' 11 footballs were measured at 11.30, at the lower end, but within range, of what the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted.
(3) If we assume that the non-logo gauge was used, then the Patriots' footballs were approximately 0.2 psi under inflated, on average. 0.2 psi. Now, ESPN's sports science did a story on this and three very important facts came out:
· That ball (under-inflated by 2 psi) leaving Brady’s hand at 50 MPH and traveling 20 yards would arrive at the receiver .003 per second slower. In other words, Advantage: Defensive back.
· About that argument that the lower pressure makes the ball extra squishy and therefore easier to grip? The compression on a football measures one millimeter.
· The weight difference between a 10.5 PSI and a 12.5 PSI ball is less than the weight of a dollar bill.
Think about that for a moment. They did the story based on 2 psi difference. Why did they assume that number? We'll get to that in the next point. But the difference of 2 psi in a football is about the weight of a dollar bill. How much does a dollar bill weigh? According to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a dollar bill weighs about 4 grams. But the Pats' footballs, using the non-logo gauge, were not 2 psi low. They were 0.2 psi lower than what the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted. That means the footballs Brady was throwing were, on average, 0.4 grams lighter than they "should" have been. Four-tenths of a gram. This is the approximate weight of a toothpick. No joke.
All of this is over the difference of the weight of a toothpick.
Moreover, 0.2 psi is LESS than the discrepancy between the two gauges. So the margin of error between the two gauges is greater than the 0.2 psi the lower gauge gave as the difference between the Patriots' footballs and the lower limit predicted by the Ideal Gas Law.
Unbelievable.
(4) Now, to answer the question in the previous point about why ESPN's sports science assumed a 2 psi difference. This is because of Mortensen's tweet and subsequent story that 11 of the 12 Patriots' footballs were measured at 2 psi under the limit. This is what set the entire NFL world ablaze in fury. It was backed up by a letter that the NFL sent the Patriots along the same lines. So when Brady had his awkward press conference before the Super Bowl, it was THIS understanding that he had in mind. No wonder he was befuddled, wondering just what the heck was going on, and why he said he didn't *think* he was cheating.
As we know, that tweet and story was egregiously wrong. And the NFL knew it. In fact, they later told the Patriots the correct numbers - a long, long time later - but only under the condition that they not make the actual numbers public. Earlier, before the Super Bowl, Mike Florio pressed the NFL five times to give him the real numbers to report in the Super Bowl pregame and the NFL refused. So the NFL leaked to Mortensen erroneous numbers, did not correct it, refused to give Florio the correct numbers, and then when they finally gave the Patriots the correct numbers, the Patriots weren't allowed to make those numbers public. Why on earth would the NFL be so interested in false, misleading, and utterly damning information to remain out there, when they had every opportunity to correct it?
Tom Brady may end up losing this case and may lose 4 games and nearly $2 million, and suffer incalculable damage to his reputation and legacy. And the Patriots franchise lost $1 million, and 1st and 4th round draft picks in 2016. All over false information spread deliberately by the NFL, and over 0.2 pounds of pressure in a football. The weight of a toothpick.
There has never been a more ridiculous set of circumstances in sports history.
