Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports Tom Brady suddenly seems more credible as a new report suggests the footballs were ‘just a few ticks under minimum.’
Hours before Super Bowl XLIX kicked off, DeflateGate took yet another turn.
On Sunday morning, the NFL Network reported details of the mysteriously underinflated footballs used by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game two weeks ago. And according to the report, the controversial footballs were not as egregiously in violation as was originally reported by ESPN. Just one of the Patriots’ 12 footballs came in two pounds-per-square-inch under league mandates at halftime of that game, according to the NFL Network. The remaining footballs were “just a few ticks under minimum,” the report said.
The report is likely too late to save New England in the court of public opinion, although it would seem to make Bill Belichick’s mad science from two weeks ago suddenly seem possible. Initially, Belichick’s ramblings of atmospheric pressure seemed a wild excuse, and he was crushed by many true scientific experts, in part because initial reports claimed that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 footballs measured a full two-pounds-per-square-inch below league regulations. If the footballs were just slightly under minimum, his theories – as well as Tom Brady’s claim that he couldn’t tell the difference in the feel of the football during the game – suddenly could be credible.
The league continues to investigate the situation with Ted Wells, spearheading the process. In order to facilitate the investigation, the NFL remains in possession of the football that was intercepted by Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson (which Jackson later gave to an equipment manager who, according to reports, thought it was felt light, touching off the investigation).
Additionally, the NFL Network provided more insight into the mysterious “ball boy,” who was caught on video taking the Patriots’ gameday footballs into the bathroom briefly after they’d been measured by officials. According to the NFL Network, the ball boy was actually “elderly,” and he was in the bathroom for 98 seconds. The footage of that has been turned over to Wells for investigative purposes.
Meanwhile, despite the scrutiny around the condition of game balls, and Roger Goodell’s claim of “transparency,” the league declined NBC’s request to film the measurement of the footballs during the SUper Bowl pregame.
HARVIN NOT STARVIN’
Percy Harvin hasn’t played a game in more than a month, and he certainly didn’t make a single play on Super Bowl Sunday. But that didn’t stop the Jets’ receiver from cashing in on the Seahawks’ second straight postseason run.
According to ESPN, Harvin earned a base salary of $ 6.47 million this season, but he had several postseason incentives tied to his contract, so even though Seattle lost Sunday, he still took home a $ 46,500 bonus.
That despite the fact that he no longer suits up for the Seahawks. Harvin was traded to the Jets in mid-October, the final major move of former Gang Green GM John Idzik’s tenure.
BOOM AND A BUST
Jeremy Lane, the Seahawks’ nickel CB, made the biggest play of the first quarter when he picked off Brady at the goal line, but he suffered a gruesome- looking arm injury on the return. He was carted off the field and immediately labeled “doubtful” for the remainder of the game.
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