Tom Brady Patriots (Photo : Reuters)
The National Football League is currently investigating the New England Patriots regarding the deflation of the game balls used during the AFC Championship against the Indiana Colts on Jan. 18, Sunday in Foxborough.
Out of the 12 balls used, 11 were underinflated, Boston Globe reported. They were 2 pounds under the NFL's requirement, which is between 12.5 to 13.5 psi (pounds of air per square inch). Twitter has called the incident the #DeflateGate.
It all started when D'Qwell Jackson, the Colts' linebacker, told his team's equipment manager his suspicions regarding the underinflated ball. The information was passed to general manager Ryan Grigson, who relayed the intel to the NFL field operations director. The director then told the game officials during halftime.
The consequence, if the Patriots is found to be guilty of the violation, include a $25,000 fine and a revoke of the draft picks.
Deflating the ball could give the quarterbacks an advantage as it provides better grip in wet or cold weather conditions, BBC reported. The balls can be doctored to an extent before the game starts, but it is needed to be inflated to the NFL's requirement.
It could mean the difference when winning a game, but the Patriots did win with 45 points, while the Colts scored only 7 points.
This is not the first time the New England team was put to the spotlight for alleged violations.
In 2007, an assistant coach for the Patriots secretly recorded on video the New York Jets defensive signals during their practice. This gave Brady the advantage of adjusting to the opponent team's play. The incident was called "spygate."
The Patriots was fined $250,000, while its head coach Bill Belichick was also told to pay $500,000. They also lost their draft pick during the first round.
