General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I think that there is a high probability that Tom Brady will not be playing in the Super Bowl [View all]Whiskeytide
(4,461 posts)... will never fly, IMO. Regardless of who did it, Brady was at least aware of it during the game. He was handling the ball on every offensive snap, and he threw 35 passes (not to mention the dozens of warm-up throws and snaps). He's a professional QB. He has stated his preference for under-inflated balls in the past, so he well knows the difference. The center would also have known. Probably the receivers as well. Most running backs prefer a deflated ball as well because they can keep a better grip on it. They would certainly know.
Even if it was some kind of set up (and I just think that's an incredible stretch), the "Deflatriots" (I love that) certainly took it and ran with it. You don't hear a story coming out of this where the center went to Bilichek mid 1st qtr and said "Hey coach, the balls are under-inflated. I think someone is setting us up", do you?