Were the Indianapolis Colts tipped off the New England Patriots’ ball-deflating ways by a fellow AFC playoff team? That’s what it sounds like.
FOX NFL reporter Jay Glazer says the Ravens tipped off the Colts about the Patriots’ tendency to deflate footballs. He also says the league was planning to inspect the balls at halftime of the game, which is what occurred anyhow.
During the inspection, 11 of the 12 Patriots balls reportedly were found to be under-inflated by about two pounds per square inch, which could be around 15 percent of the regulation. The balls were properly inflated after the inspection and the Patriots went on to outscore the Colts 28-0 in the second half to win 45-7.
This report coincides with a separate report that said the Ravens were suspicious about their kicking balls being deflated against the Pats.
Glazer says the NFL is now trying to determine intent in the matter. Additionally, FOX says “many NFL owners, general managers and coaches are tired of the Patriots and are wondering if the league will finally take a hard line.” That is a much different sentiment from all the people who were defending the team by saying deflating a football hardly matters.
