Report: NFL concludes Patriots’ footballs altered by humans, not weather

The NFL has conclusive evidence that the under-inflated footballs used by the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game were altered by people, eliminating some of the theories presented by those giving the Pats the benefit of the doubt, according to a report.

Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King reports that all 12 of the Patriots’ and all 12 of the Colts’ footballs left the officials’ locker room before the game at the proper level of inflation. He says when the balls were re-checked by officials at halftime, 11 OR 12 of the Patriots’ balls were under-inflated by two pounds per square inch, while the Colts’ balls remained the same level of pressure. The Patriots had to re-inflate their balls to normal levels for the second half, and when the balls were checked at the end of the game, all 24 were of proper inflation.

This new information presented by King leads to some important conclusions.

If King’s reporting is accurate, it tells us that the Colts’ balls maintained the same amount of inflation throughout the entire game. That eliminates the theory some had that the cold weather decreased the pressure in the footballs. And if King’s report that possibly all 12 of the Pats’ footballs tested at halftime were too low, compared to Chris Mortensen’s report that 11 of 12 were under-inflated, that wipes out another theory.

LBS writer Steve DelVecchio wondered if the officials were just lazy pregame and only checked one of the Patriots’ footballs pregame. His theory was that the Patriots properly inflated one ball, had it pass inspection, and the referees didn’t bother to check the other 11, which would put the error on the refs for allowing the Pats to sneak one past them. This theory appears to be incorrect because King says all the balls were of proper inflation before the game and that possibly all of the Pats’ balls were under-inflated at halftime.

What’s the conclusion? Probably some sort of equipment manager or staff member deflated the balls after they were checked or swapped balls with ones they secretly deflated to fit Tom Brady’s liking. That means Brady was cheating, with or without Bill Belichick’s knowledge (likely with, though the whole thing is more of a Brady deal).

You know what the incredible part of this whole controversy is? The Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0 in the second half of the game with the properly inflated footballs anyhow. But I think we’ve learned over time that the Pats want every advantage possible even if it means breaking the rules.

Suspending Belichick for the Super Bowl as some have suggested would be too harsh of a penalty, especially when you consider the team they’re facing in the big game has had a serious repeat-offender problem when it comes to PEDs.