The investigation for “Deflate-Gate”, the controversy the New England Patriots are involved in weeks before the Super Bowl, has already started and there are more details being exposed about the Patriots alleged cheating. The latest is the expose that the Baltimore Ravens had tipped off the Indianapolis Colts before the AFC championship game about the possibility that New England will be using deflated balls to their advantage.
The new “Deflate-Gate” report came from FOX Sports’ NFL Insider Jay Glazer, who also said that officials from the National Football League (NFL) were already on their way to inspecting the balls at halftime. Initial reports stated that the cause of the start of the investigation was when D'Qwell Jackson intercepted Tom Brady’s pass in the first half and Jackson reported it to his own team officials, who afterwards informed the league of the possibility that something is wrong with the balls being used for the game.
In a different and earlier report, the Patriots were found to have allegedly deflated 11 of 12 footballs they used in the conference championship game versus the Colts. According to many experts, a deflated football is easier to catch and throw, which means an easier time for the offence. NFL teams are allowed to use their own dozen footballs for each game so the advantage is one-sided.
"There's a huge advantage to having a deflated football," former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell said in SportsCenter segment on Wednesday. "It's like a basketball — if you take a little air out of it, it's easier to palm it.” The Patriots beat the Colts, 45-7 but the controversy has put the New England franchise under the microscope again. The Patriots have a history of “cheating” in the league as in 2007, the Patriots and Bill Belichick were fined $750,000 for being found guilty of spying on the opposition by stealing their hand signals on defence.
With the win over the Colts, the Patriots advanced to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX set to kick off on Feb. 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.
“The investigation is currently underway and we’re still awaiting findings,” NFL's executive vice president for football operations Troy Vincent said as the cheating allegations started reaching the mainstream media in the United States. The investigation is said to be concluded days before the Super Bowl begins.
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