Deflategate mars Pats AFC Championship triumph

The New England Patriots hammered the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC Championship Game to make it to their sixth Super Bowl in fourteen seasons. What should have been a triumph to remember has now been marred by allegations that the Pats deflated the balls to earn the right to face the Seahawks on February 1, 2015.

Reports began to come in a few days back that the Pats underinflated their balls for the game against the Colts. According to reports, it all began when Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted one Brady pass in the second quarter and suspected something wrong with the ball. Jackson handed the ball to a member of the Colts’ technical staff who then provided Chuck Pagano with information.

Now new reports are streaming in that the NFL checked the pressure of the twelve balls in use by the Patriots and eleven of those were found underinflated.  No official comment has come in from the NFL yet but multiple sources are now reporting more or less the same thing.

The referees examine the balls two hours prior to the kick-off and sources report that the balls were declared fine prior to this game as well. The rules state that the balls should have 12.5-13.5lbs PSI. Underinflated balls provide better grip for the thrower and are easier to catch as well.

The question now is: did the Patriots really use underinflated balls to reach the Super Bowl? If the answer to that is in affirmative then what does the NFL do? We will get answers to both questions when the NFL makes an official statement. Till then let’s hear what you have got to say on the issue.