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7 years later, Deflategate is in the news again: Report suggests NFL covered up facts that might have exonerated Tom Brady, Patriots
Deflategate is the gift that keeps on giving. The NFL-manufactured scandal that accused the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady of illegally tampering with the air pressure inside footballs to gain a competitive advantage — an accusation that was later disproven by basic science — dominated news cycles throughout 2015 and 2016.Now, it is back. A new book by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shines a light on the league office’s role in the scandal and how it actively worked against the Patriots.
Two pieces of information were recently shared in a quasi-excerpt from the book: who was responsible for the erroneous tweet by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen claiming that 11 of 12 Patriots footballs were two pound per square inch (PSI) below the league’s air pressure range (12.5-13.5), and how the NFL handled measurements conducted during the 2015 season.
As for Mortensen’s tweet, its source reportedly was NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent:
Vincent played a key role in the whole Deflategate affair, being present during measurements at halftime of the 2014 AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and the visiting Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had alerted the league about a rumor originating with the Baltimore Ravens that New England would tamper with the footballs; the NFL tried to catch the Patriots in the act and measured the footballs at the half.
New England’s balls were measured first, and only one of the twelve was more than 2 PSI below the threshold; the others ranged from 1.8 to 0.2 PSI below but still within a scientifically explainable range. Yet, Mortensen’s tweet remained online and the basis of much of the talk about Deflategate.
Obviously, the league’s field study conducted during the 2015 season would have helped exonerate the Patriots and their quarterback after their were heavily penalized for their alleged involvement. However, NFL hid the numbers, reportedly at the behest of league counsel Jeff Pash:
The fact that the NFL league office built an expensive case against New England and eventually conspired to keep unfavorable evidence hidden is nothing new. The league never releasing the testing numbers after the 2015 season was sufficient proof of that already.
Now, however, we know who played a key role in the process that eventually cost the Patriots two draft picks — a first- and a fourth-rounder — and led to the NFL suspending Tom Brady for four games: Troy Vincent either knowingly or not feeding wrong numbers to a receptive journalist, and Jeff Pash covering up facts that would have proven the NFL’s case to be based in fiction rather than fact.
Ultimately, however, none of it matters. Those who believe the Patriots have been guilty of whatnot will still do so, while their two stripped draft will not return. Likewise, this serves as further proof that Vincent and Pash tried to hold onto the conclusions that were drawn in the Gillette Stadium locker room in January 2015.
At the end of the day, Deflategate remains a full success for the NFL as Pats Pulpit’s own Alec Shane wrote in 2016:
Florio’s new book will not change any of that.
Report: NFL covered up facts that might have exonerated Tom Brady, Patriots in Deflategate
Seven years after it first happened, one of the weirdest scandals in league history is back.
www.patspulpit.com
