This is not so much about a deflated football as it is about the hatred for a team.

[ScreamingMeemie]

I say that as a Packer fan who isn't particularly fond of the Patriots (thanks mainly to their fans).

It's a non-issue.

[MohRokTah]

1. A team that has been punished for cheating in the past. eom

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Then we must punish my own team and replay the season.

Aaron Rodgers admitted on film that he likes the footballs he plays with to be overinflated. Hatred. That's all.

[MohRokTah]

3. I only want to see the proper punishment.

According to NFL rules, the PAtriots should be fined $275K, $25K per deflated ball.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. There should be no punishment for what amounts to nothing.

[MohRokTah]

7. Ah, so you don't mind cheating when the rules are clear deflated balls are cheating.

Got it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. No, I'm asking why we're upset about the Patriots when we're not upset about the Packers...?

Why? Why does the QB of my team get away with it, and the QB of a team that is hated by many not? Got it now? Non-story unless you are willing to throw everyone in that cheating charge. If it wasn't the Patriots, or possibly the Cowboys, no one would care.

[MohRokTah]

22. Patriots have been caught red handed with deflated balls.

The NFL could make it all go away if tomorrow afternoon they announce a fine against the team of $275K and a loss of a first dround draft pick, then let it go.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. You aren't answering my question.

Another QB admitted it.

[MohRokTah]

39. What Rodgers does is completely different.

He has his team pump the balls up to an overinflated PSI.

They then hand the balls to the officials who deflate the balls to regulation (12.5 - 13.5).

The Patriots had the balls set to regulation, had them inspected, then the balls became deflated AFTER the inspection.

One team cheated. The other team DID NOT.

[Lurker Deluxe]

42. says you

This has never even been mentioned before .. ever.

[ScreamingMeemie]

58. That is not what Rodgers said in his interview.

It was something similar to be happy if a couple sneaked by.

[HappyMe]

63. Your team got their punishment.

It was a thing of beauty, I must say.

[mythology]

68. Incorrect

Rodgers has said he will submit the footballs to the referees overinflated. It's the ref's job to ensure that the footballs are inflated to the correct allowed amounts. There is nothing that says the team has to submit footballs inflated within the legal bounds.

In the case of the Patriots, the footballs that they submitted were at the proper level when submitted and then were found to be significantly below the allowed amount at half time.

So no, it's not the same thing. One is cheating, one isn't. I don't hate the Patriots because they are the Patriots or even because their fans are obnoxious. I hate them because they cheat to win. I hate Seattle and all their performance enhancing drug users because they cheat to win (well and their perpetual yapping).

I wish my team, the Texans would cut Brian Cushing who has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (and even more so with his "rare medical condition" that he claims caused the positive test, because that's just lame). Although given his steroid use was obvious from when he was in college, it's sadly obvious that they didn't care. There is a zero percent chance that his level of physical change was just a result of healthy eating and lifting weights.

[madokie]

71. Then almost everyone in the country has to be punished

most of all of us have cheated on something sometime or the other. I taste sour grapes and nothing else in this

Andrew Luck is a good quarterback but not in the same class as Tom Brady, or Russell Wilson, for that matter. Not saying he won't or can't be but at the moment he is not the same caliber of player as these two guy I mentioned. I know that Wilson is only in his third season but he already was part of a winning the superbowl team so that shows his worth. Not all players advance at the same speed. Some flat ass never make it and at this point in time nothing says that Luck will even get there. Sour grapes is what I keep coming back to on this.

Fact is the Patriots kicked the Colts ass up one side of the field and down the other, from start to finish no matter the ball pressure. You reckon that Tom or Bill were over there on the sidelines letting air out of the balls between possessions? I don't and I don't think anyone on their team was. Maybe a disgruntled employee if it is found to be true that someone was. I still say it very well could be a manufacturing defect. I know manufacturing defects happen and it happens a lot more often than we know on about everything we buy.

I'm looking forward to a good superbowl game and will be watching it no matter what. I'll pull for the Hawks but it has nothing to do with Brady or Bilichick or the football pressure. I like Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman to be honest with you.

[GusBob]

5. A team with a history of cheating? What's to like?

They have been caught red handed again. Brady just got reamed out by the ESPN crew

Once you start covering up, lying, twisting in the wind, you make the issue worse

[truebluegreen]

8. Didn't see ESPN, but on the basis of Brady's interview on Monday,

I don't blame them. Laughing it off, like it's the silliest thing he ever heard, and not worthy of a response? Puhleeeese.

[GusBob]

13. He got caught in a lie

The one commentator Mark Brunnell was about to cry

[beam me up scottie]

6. My oldest brother is a Pats fan.

Like he said, it sucks because they didn't need to cheat to win, they played better with the replacement balls.

[pnwmom]

73. But maybe they needed it to beat the Ravens by only 4 points.

We'll never know if there were other close games where their ball cheating made the difference.

[beam me up scottie]

92. Meh. Not my monkey.

I'm sure the Patriots aren't alone, we'll never know how many other teams cheated but didn't get caught.

[NightWatcher]

9. For me, the Patriots are the Yankees of football

Go Marlins!

[on point]

10. Symbolic of US problems. Cheating is only a problem if caught.

Cheating everywhere and every time needs to dealt with severely as a deterrent.

Otherwise, corps, hedge funds, politicians, students etc all think that is 'how the game is played', and the downward spiral of the country continues.

Disgusting to laugh this off as no big deal.

[NobodyHere]

17. +1

nt

[grntuscarora]

44. +1

n/t

[pintobean]

11. I love when shit like this happens.

We get to find out a lot about people's character. People who are okay with cheating are not people I want to trust.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. I'm pretty okay with my character. I'm just asking where we draw the line?

Aaron Rodgers admitted on record to using overinflated footballs when he could. Do we just round out a fine there? Or, are the Patriots only in trouble because they got caught? This is why it's all about the hated in my opinion.

I wouldn't "trust" people on the Internet either. That's how you get catfished.

[hfojvt]

33. it's like that all over sports though

How many times do offensive lineman commit holding penalties? Doubtless more times than they get caught. If the ref sees it and throws the flag, they pay the penalty. If the ref doesn't see it, then they get that advantage.

There was a Packers-Bears game I saw once where a Bears player committed a 15 yard face mask penalty which the refs did not call. The result of the play was a Packers first down. The Bears challenged the call, and the play was brought back. It was decided the receiver was out of bounds. Which he was, but that face mask penalty would have given the Packers the first down anyway. The Packers ended up punting - and losing. That was a key drive. Had the refs made the right call, the Packers very likely would have won.

Was that cheating by the Bears? Not unless they paid the refs to not see things.

In much the same way, the refs are supposed to catch and replace under-inlfated balls, but did not. Again, I would say it is only cheating if the refs were paid to look the other way.

Then there was San Fransisco vs. Green Bay in the play offs. San Fransisco fumbled with 35 seconds left or something. Packers recovered. Game was over. Packers won.

Except the officials ruled, mistakenly, that he was down and that it was a no-fumble. Call could not be challenged either. Was there some kind of nationwide cry about how San Fransisco cheated? If there was it didn't get very far out of Wisconsin.

The real question here, to me, is not about the footballs, or the Patriots. What about the refs? Who handle the football on every play. They are the ones who missed the call.

[DiverDave]

85. So, since rogers is a cheater

it makes your teams cheating O.K.?
Good luck untying the logic knot.
Look, cheating is wrong m'kay.

[LittleBlue]

50. +1

[dilby]

12. Someone cheated on the Patriots and they need to be punished hard.

Since no one on the team seems to know how the balls were under inflated the whole team needs to be punished with draft picks and fines. Since the coach can't control cheating on his team he needs to be suspended indefinitely from the NFL.

[Lurker Deluxe]

14. right

Beat your wife ... 4 games.

Kill some dogs ... see you when you get out of jail.

rape some women ... brush it under the rug.

fuck with the pressure of the stupid ball ... banned for life.

[dilby]

15. You have two major cheating scandals in your career you shoudl be banned for life.

If someone beat their wife during a game, killed some dogs at a game, raped a woman at a game I can guarantee they would be banned for life. This guy cheated at the game, it's not like he was caught cheating on his taxes.

[Lurker Deluxe]

25. LOL

Sure ....

It's a joke.

You don't ban people from sports because of BS "cheating", you fine them and take away picks and suspend for a few games.

By your judgement what do you do to a player who obviously commits a physical foul during the game? Put them in prison?

[former9thward]

47. Should Pete Carroll be banned?

Seahawks' lead in PED bans under Carroll

The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFL in suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs since Pete Carroll became coach in 2010, research by ESPN Stats & Information shows.

Defensive end Bruce Irvin's four-game suspension, announced Friday, was the fifth during that span, according to research ESPN's Steve Martinez conducted using STATS PASS.


http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/100145/seahawks-lead-in-ped-bans-under-carroll

[dilby]

49. If he was handing out drugs to his players or encouraging the use.

Then yes he should, however it sounds like 5 players who made the decision for themselves. Way different than the two scandals that the Patriots have been involved in.

[former9thward]

52. You claimed the coach is responsible for the players in post #12.

So Carroll is responsible for "5 players who made the decision for themselves". You can't have it both ways. You do know his history at USC don't you?

Pete Carroll, USC and Scandal

http://www.bruinsnation.com/2006/6/26/113925/426

I guess all of those players "made the decision for themselves".

[R B Garr]

78. That link is from a UCLA Bruin's site, so that's like John Boehner

giving the rebuttal to the SOTU -- can't take it too seriously. The Bruins and USC are cross-town rivals.

Pete had open practices as a way to motivate his players to compete and to excite the fan base. I went to some of those practices myself back in his day at USC. That's where the lack of oversight charges started coming from. The open practices were also open to agents, etc. where they should not have been allowed.

Most of the other problems were from Reggie Bush's parent some 130 miles away when they were accepting favors from a convicted felon fraud who wanted to represent Bush as an agent in the NFL.

What Pete was doing wasn't really that scandalous except to Pete's enemies.

[former9thward]

84. Of course, nothing was "Pete"'s fault.

Such an unfortunate guy! Trouble all around him but he had nothing to do with it!

[R B Garr]

86. Well, actually...Mike Garrett, USC's Athletic Director at the time

and some of the other Admin around him were part of the problem with the NCAA. Garrett is one of USC's Heisman winners and is very connected; therefore, it looks like he really didn't take some of the allegations seriously, and some of the problems escalated because of his attitude about it and procrastination in responding.

Pete was really very collegiate, but his enthusiasm attracted people who took advantage of the openness and ultimately caused the "lack of institutional oversight" allegations.

[LittleBlue]

51. The players were banned per league policy

Pete Carroll would be in federal prison if he had distributed drugs to players.

You keep posting an offense that was punished as justification for your boy Belicheat not to be punished. For his second cheating offense. Fail.

[former9thward]

54. "your boy"

No, I just enjoy the hypocrisy of Seattle fans.

[dilby]

56. I am a Cleveland fan thank you very much.

I am not a Seahawks fan and don't care which team wins the Super Bowl. However there is a huge difference between the drug use of 5 players on one team and the complete corruption of two major cheating scandals that the Patriots had.

[LittleBlue]

60. No hypocrisy

Punish as per the NFL rules. Simple. By the way, one of those suspended players, Browner, is playing for the Pats now.

[former9thward]

64. I wonder where all of Carroll's suspended players from USC

are playing now?

Pete Carroll, USC and Scandal

http://www.bruinsnation.com/2006/6/26/113925/426

[LittleBlue]

70. This is really the tactic you're taking?

Deflect from cheating by talking about USC. Shameless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_National_Football_League_videotaping_controversy


Deflect, deflect, deflect. Going to laugh my ass off when draft picks are taken away from the Pats again.

[frylock]

57. not this shit again..

the players were suspended. punished. how many more pounds of flesh would you like to exact?

[former9thward]

65. None.

I would not have suspended any of them. I am just against hypocrisy.

[frylock]

97. where's the hypocrisy?

has Pete Carroll weighed in on the subject?

[former9thward]

105. I think Carroll would stay away from this as far as possible.

Given his history...

[WilliamPitt]

19. At this point, I welcome the hatred

There's no fighting it; lazy-ass sportswriters filling column inches and airtime are fueling it, and there's no fighting it.

Fuck it. Bring it. Or as I said:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/120451150

[Agschmid]

23. Yup.

[PAProgressive28]

24. It's embarassing

They broke into regular programming on the networks to show Brady's press conference. Mark Brunnell CRIED on ESPN after his presser. Meanwhile the Seahawks had the most PED suspensions last year and Aaron Rodgers has said he over-inflates the balls. It's a non-issue.

[WilliamPitt]

41. ...and the Saints had a program where they paid players to injure players.

Cry my a fucking river.

[frylock]

59. and were heavily, and rightly, sanctioned for that

[WilliamPitt]

62. ...and (maybe) deflating footballs is the same

as going for a guy's knees, or his skull.

Hm.

[frylock]

90. driving home tonight, i heard somebody likening it to corking a bat..

which I thought was a pretty fair analogy.

[Sheldon Cooper]

45. I've always considered Belichek to be a piece of shit used car salesman.

So this behavior is no surprise.

[WilliamPitt]

46. When he gets his fourth ring next week

I'm sure he'll give a shit.

[rbrnmw]

48. +millions

[Marrah_G]

89. I've always thought he was a pretty great guy.

[Marrah_G]

88. Yup

[Johonny]

20. To paraphrase Tom Brady from post Baltimore-New England "Read the rule book"

The rule book states the balls aren't to be tampered with, the balls appear to be tampered with, the minimum fine per NFL rule is 25K per ball. It is in the rule book and since everyone in the NFL media is talking about it... it appears to be an issue. The Patriots coach and quarterback didn't just give interviews on said subject because it isn't an issue.

If they're willing to break this rule who is to say they still aren't illegally video taping signs from other teams... Oh no this is a huge issue and it won't go away all Superbowl week. In case you missed the Ray Rice issue; the NFL is hugely popular and everything NFL related is an issue in this country. It is going to be talked about.

[KamaAina]

21. The definitive word on this suibject comes from rabid Pats fan Will lPitt.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/120451150

[lpbk2713]

26. It could also be broader than that.

Like AFC / NFC or the geography could even figure in somehow. Never know what motivates some brain processes.

[HappyMe]

27. Oh please.

Cheating is cheating.

[zappaman]

29. I can't stand the Pats!

But this "issue" is soooo lame.

[global1]

30. The OP Sounds Familiar To Me.....

This is not about failed government as it is about hatred for the President. hmmmmmm........

Good example Repugs!!!!!!

[RiffRandell]

31. In the words of the famous NFL murderer/accomplice Ray Lewis:

"God has never made a mistake. That’s just who He is, you see.... To the family, if you knew, if you really knew the way God works, He don’t use people who commits anything like that for His glory.”[53]

That's why I think Canty from the Ravens needs to shut the fuck up about the integrity of the game.

During a taped pre-game interview with Shannon Sharpe that aired on CBS before Super Bowl XLVII, Sharpe told Lewis that the families of the slain men find it difficult to see Lewis be idolized by millions of fans, believing he knows more about the killings than he shared.[52] “What would you like to say to the families?” Sharpe asked. Lewis said: "God has never made a mistake. That’s just who He is, you see.... To the family, if you knew, if you really knew the way God works, He don’t use people who commits anything like that for His glory."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Lewis

I'm a huge Pats fan, I think the balls were under regulation and Brady should have came clean in that press conference.

I've been watching/listening to sports networks all day (did I ever mention I LOVE sports?) and it really isn't a big deal had he come clean.

Do you really think the Pats were the only team to video plays? That's a real fucking laugh.

By all means, keep showing Brady on the television. He's hot as fuck.

[Lurker Deluxe]

35. I was waiting ...

For Tom to ask, "who else here is married to a Brazilian supermodel?"

LMAO!

[RiffRandell]

37. Who makes more than him, btw.

On Monday, the same day that she joined the Ice Bucket Challenge and looked stunning while doing so, Forbes revealed Bundchen was the world’s highest-paid model of 2013-2014 — earning a whopping $47 million before taxes.

According to Forbes, Tom Brady, Bundchen’s Patriot-anchoring, football-playing husband, made $31.3 million. That’s right, Bundchen out-earned her man by about $16 million. [Boston.com]

http://theweek.com/speedreads/447869/gisele-bundchen-makes-more-money-than-tom-brady

[Lurker Deluxe]

40. oh but to have that problem

That, in definition, is a "first world problem".

[grasswire]

32. what, PDS?

come on

[yallerdawg]

34. Much ado about nothing.

In the 2nd half, Brady played with confirmed properly inflated balls and went at one point 9 for 9 in passing. It wasn't PSI on balls. Under inflation impeded his play?

Sheeeeeeeeeeee-it.

All winter long, we have temps in the 60s to 70s - a cold front comes through, temp goes to 30's, my underinflated tire light goes off every time. Fill them back up to recommended PSI, happens again next time.

What about gauge imperfection, what about pumping imperfection? Equipment issue?

What if this had never come up as issue before , so no one ever paid attention?

Refs and officials, the NFL game monitors of regulations, and the guys who handle the footballs more than QBs, noticed no problem?

But the NFL will make a determination -- that'll clear it all up, right?

[onenote]

38. Based on the results, if one wanted to be a conspiracy nut

one could surmise that the Colts somehow tampered with the footballs used by the Pats, causing Brady to perform much more poorly than he did with fully inflated footballs in the second half.

Of course that would be ridiculous, but some of the hyperbole surrounding this event isn't much less ridiculous.

IF it is proven that the Pats directly or indirectly tampered with the footballs, then they should be penalized in a manner commensurate with the harm that resulted. Since that harm was negligible based on the results, the fine specified in the rules seems approriate.

[frylock]

61. why wouldn't the weather have effected the balls on the Colt's side of the field?

[yallerdawg]

69. Of course it did.

The game was expected to be sloppy because of the weather conditions. The balls. Throwing, catching, carrying and kicking wet cold balls.

Didn't Brady throw an interception which triggered all this? It wasn't a perfect game for either team. Just the home team which plays in these exact conditions all the time had a better game.

Belichick said now he would have balls inflated to stipulated max, so if weather conditions caused drop in PSI, the footballs would hopefully remain in approved range.

[frylock]

91. there is no evidence that the footballs on the Colt's side were under-inflated..

and if weather was a factor, how do you explain the one football that was still pressurized at regulation?

[yallerdawg]

95. No one knows any more about Colt's footballs...

than Patriot's footballs.

They certainly did not follow the exact same procedures, so another whole set of variables.

[frylock]

96. mmmm hmmmm

[pnwmom]

74. The weather had nothing to do with it. It was 50 degrees -- not cold.

And the Colts balls were subjected to the exact same weather, and tested with the same equipment, and none of them were underweight.

[yallerdawg]

76. 50 degrees is cold...

relative to where the balls were inflated, and selected by Brady, and tested by officials. I bet it wasn't 50 and a cold rain.

There are so many variables, and conditions, and equipment, and actions -- I think this calls for a change in rules. Why would we want a football that makes it harder to throw and catch, harder to carry, harder to kick?

Isn't football hard enough?

[pnwmom]

80. 50 degrees isn't cold compared to the usual football conditions. And you haven't explained

how the Colts balls, tested under the same conditions, didn't suffer the same effect from the change in temp.

[yallerdawg]

83. I don't know what Colts did.

I don't know what process on footballs was carried out by visiting team.

Too many variables.

[pnwmom]

93. We know that the NFL is saying that the Colts' balls were tested

in the same manner as the Patriots' balls -- by league officials with league equipment. And only the Patriots' balls failed the test.

[yallerdawg]

98. I hope the NFL says...

the trivialness of this matter, the inconclusive nature, the fact Brady played better with regulation balls makes this a one off -- we'll look at this and see how to go forward.

[pnwmom]

100. They won't decide it's trivial. And it wasn't just a one off.

The Colts first noticed this in a game in November. Who knows how many close games were placed with these squishy balls?

The Ravens lost by only 4 points. The squishy balls could have made the difference. We'll never know.

[yallerdawg]

101. Squishy balls?

Then why did Brady pass better and the Patriots play better with fully inflated regulation balls? The second half was 28-0.

And I bet if we go play by play, squishy balls would be, if even a real issue, just one of a hundred reasons the Ravens lost.

[pnwmom]

102. Why does Brady say he prefers a ball at 12.5 instead of a firmer ball?

He thinks he plays better with balls at the low end (of acceptable), so ask him.

The Ravens lost only by 4 points. How come, if the Patriots were so much better, the game was so close?

[napkinz]

36. one thing we can all I agree on

[Blue_Tires]

43. Well, TBH

The Patriots aren't exactly "first time offenders" when it comes to this sort of thing, so the backlash is at least a bit understandable...

[Nye Bevan]

53. And one of the main reasons people hate them is that they keep cheating, over and over.

So this whole thing is kind of self-perpetuating.

[workinclasszero]

55. I agree

Clearly the lack of two pounds of pressure in the footballs led to this score...45 to 7...LOLZ

[pnwmom]

75. They beat the Ravens by only 4 points, and the Ravens had noticed

that the balls seemed to be underweight in that game, too -- and they reported this at the time. Also, the Colts reported it after a game in November. This seems to be part of a pattern for the Patriots, and there's no way to know if it affected other close games.

[rufus dog]

66. Not a fan of either team

Is this issue a bit overblown? Yes

Should the Pats be put through the ringer? Yes, a bs move, unneeded.

Should anyone be suspended? No

Should the NFL figure out a better policy? Yes.

[pnwmom]

72. There are reasons this cheating team is disliked. People haven't forgotten

about the spying, for instance.

[DiverDave]

77. Either you have rules or you dont.

Only the wealthy (tom brady) laugh at the reporter when asked about breaking the rules.
Rules are for chumps. I you aint cheating you don't want to win.
What about honor? What about fair play? What about sportsmanship?

Gone, gone, gone.
Cheating is the new norm.
Just ask wall street. Just ask a politician.

I'm so sick of cheaters that think the rules only apply to the other (read: poor saps) guy.
A poor, underpaid ballboy will take the blame.
Do you honestly think multi-millionaire brady gives 2 shits about that poor kid?

So, yes it DOES matter, if only to highlight the
breathtaking gall of these CHEATERS.
And NO the score doesn't matter. THEY CHEATED.

[Nyc72dem]

79. Still no proof of cheating.

No matter how many times you type it. No proof. We will move on.

[DiverDave]

82. Yeah, the air just

magically disappeared.
Must be a ne fan.
They CHEATED.

[pnwmom]

94. Right. The air just magically departed from 11 out of 12 Patriot balls

without disturbing even a single Colts ball.

Nothing to see here. Just move on.

[Bettie]

81. I have little to no interest in football

but, if a team cheats, they shouldn't keep the win. It is just wrong.

[Marrah_G]

87. I agree

Not sure why the Pats are hated, but maybe that is because I am a fan

[flying rabbit]

99. Go Hawks!

[KMOD]

103. Bill Belichick disagrees with you

and he is a genius when it comes to football. Just sayin'

[AgingAmerican]

104. Of course it is

The country suddenly 'hates' the Patriots. Has nothing to do with the integrity of the game or any other such nonsense...