Should the Patriots be made to forfeit Sunday's game?

[gopiscrap]

It is has been reported by ESPN and Yahoo Sports that sources with in the NFL have indicted that a preliminary investigation as shown that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the Patriots in Sunday's game were under-inflated by 2lbs psi or more. If this is proven should the Patriots be made to forfeit and have the Colts go to the Super Bowl instead?

72 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	36 (50%)
	No
	34 (47%)
	re-play Colts-Patriots game this Sunday in MA
	0 (0%)
	re-play Colts-Patriots game this Sunday and have them lose home field advantage
	2 (3%)
	re-ply Colt-Patriots game this Sunday in Neutral location
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[petronius]

1. We don't know how long the Patriots have been doing this, right?

It seems only fair that they should forfeit every single game they've ever won, and the entire staff should pay back every dollar of salary they've ever received. And Tom Brady's SNL appearance should be irretrievably scrubbed from the replay cycle...

[former9thward]

5. Let's expel Seattle from the NFL

Because of Pete Carroll's history of providing drugs to players while we are at it.

[AgingAmerican]

29. Good luck with that

[former9thward]

55. It will happen at the same time

the Pats forfeit all their wins as the poster was advocating.

[AgingAmerican]

64. Good luck with that

Seriously, the Brady's need all the help they can get. I don't think the Brady's have ever beaten Wilson.

[opiate69]

90. One of the former Seahawks who was suspended is now a Patriot.

Cheatriot fans gonna start demanding Brandon Browner sit out the super bowl then?

[AgingAmerican]

113. Yes, Brandon Browner

He is one of my favorite players. He didn't cheat, he smoked weed when he was in the CFL in Canada, and they tried to carry it over to the NFL.

[opiate69]

115. He was one of my favorite seahawks as well.

My point being, though, if we're going to hold the current seahawks responsible for past transgressions, then let's be consistent. Especially considering the fact that all of the players who were actually disciplined for breaking the rules are presently former Seahawks.

[eridani]

185. In Seattle, he could have smoked all the super "bowls" he wanted n/t

[former9thward]

152. No one has innocent hands in the NFL.

That is the point.

[petronius]

187. Wait, didn't we already do that? No?!?

Damn, we are way, way behind on our clean-up-the-NFL to-do list. What are our leaders thinking?

[House of Roberts]

2. Did the NFL check the Colts' balls too?

I haven't heard if they did or not.

[pintobean]

28. yes

[zappaman]

65. That's even funnier than the OP!

I literally laughed out loud!

[pintobean]

110. I wanted to go with a

'turn your head and cough' joke, but I couldn't find an applicable pic.

[riqster]

140. DUzy!

[sharp_stick]

3. It must be Super Bowl time

the whining about the Patriots is reaching a fever pitch.

[hfojvt]

26. appears the Super Bowl is

Patriots vs. Hateriots.

[AgingAmerican]

31. That was profound!

nt

[sharp_stick]

34. As is this...

Putting nt into the "message text" part of your reply negates the meaning of nt.

You need to put it in the message text so you look like you know what you're doing.

[AgingAmerican]

37. lol

nt

[sharp_stick]

51. I try to educate

doesn't always take though.

[AgingAmerican]

61. U mad bro?

[sharp_stick]

193. Not really

[AgingAmerican]

194. Mad enough...

...to dig up a two week old thread and publicly lick your wounds...

Now the big question is, since they have proven they can win a game without cheating, should they be given a pass for it? I don't believe they should be given a pass. Cheating is cheating, don't you agree?

And what punishment should they face? Lose next years first round draft pick, or because they have cheated before, something harsher? The league says they will deal with this in about a week. Personally I think if the team was in on it, they should lose another first round pick and the coach should be suspended. If it was just Brady that cheated, as Belichick insinuated, he should be banned from ever getting into the hall of fame and suspended for a year.

[sharp_stick]

195. Well that was just for kicks

because you pulled up a 2 year old clip to be a funny and I thought you liked Sherman clips. I bookmarked it just in case.

I think Richard Sherman is the best corner in the NFL and his ability to speak truth to power is a breath of fresh air but I'm still happy as hell that he's going to spend the off season going "what if".

But as for punishment, how about nothing because it's become pretty clear the whole thing was a load of shit to begin with.

There's a reason it's disappeared from the media, nothing happened. One ball at 2 psi under reg...maybe somebody stepped on it, maybe it had a weak seam. The rest, not so much.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000466783/article/more-details-on-the-investigation-of-patriots-deflated-footballs

Then again, if it's found out they did it I'd say a fine and loss of a draft pick exactly as written in the rules would be about right.

And as for licking my wounds, when I watch Tom Brady carry that trophy past the Boston Marathon finish line, I'll be done licking my wounds.

[AgingAmerican]

196. It won't 'disappear'

The NFL stated they wouldn't start their investigation until after the super bowl.

I don't think the league will accept, "Someone must have stepped on one of the footballs" as a valid explanation for 11 balls being flat. Stepping on one football won't make 11 footballs go flat or lose air, sorry lol.

[sharp_stick]

197. Don't worry

even though I know you don't want to read the nfl.com article.

The sad will pass, even the worst butthurt of having the 12th man proven a child is only temporary.

I'll send you some pics from the parade.

?w=1000&h=542

[mythology]

78. Some people believe that cheating is wrong

Apparently you aren't one of them.

It's not whining to expect a team to play by the rules. The Patriots have opted to not do that.

[sharp_stick]

80. Actually I prefer

to wait until the report is out before determining what happened, not doing so constitutes whining.

[pipi_k]

138. Yes, that it happened is one thing

HOW it happened is quite another.


Even if it involves something the Pats had nothing to do with, there will still be those who prefer to believe the worst.


I liken it to the Birther crowd, who, years later and after being shown multiple times that Obama is indeed a US citizen still believe there's a conspiracy afoot.

God himself could come out of the sky and announce that Obama is a US citizen and they wouldn't accept it.


Much the same with this issue. If the NFL proves that no Patriots player or staff altered those balls in any way, some haters will think they're in on some huge conspiracy

Let's not even consider the idiocy of thinking that a team with the weapons the Patriots have might be forced to cheat against a team that just happened to beat a badly injured Peyton Manning the week before. My grandma probably could have beaten Manning with the injury he had.

[Drahthaardogs]

177. Yeah, cause 11 out of 12 footballs are going to just lose 2 lbs of air...

I looked at the physics today. Even accounting for STP, a 5-7% loss could be attributable to temperature change. A 16% change cannot. Face it, Bill Belicheat is like that guy you know that has a great girl at home and still has to hit on every woman he sees. He just cannot help himself.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. Too much money involved.

Only the little people get punished in this country.

[99Forever]

6. Couldn't possibly care any less.

[F4lconF16]

95. Sports is really only relevant

In how it reflects societal attitudes and ideas.

And as a side note, you would not believe the looks I've gotten when I tell people I don't care in the slightest whether the Seahawks won or not (I'm in Seattle). People get annoyed with you for not knowing when the Super Bowl is. Uber-nationalism is scary, be it for a sports team or for a country.

[Arugula Latte]

108. I'm always amazed at how seriously people take this stuff (including members of my immediate family)

I'll never get it. But, I get that I'm outside the norm in the US of A, and not just in my attitude towards sports.

[RiffRandell]

144. I feel the same way about magazine covers. nt.

[antiquie]

154. +

[opiate69]

188. bingo!

[Avalux]

7. If true, the Patriots cheated.

There's a lot at stake here I realize so it won't happen, but the MFers should be sitting at home on Superbowl Sunday.

I'd like to see them forfeit entirely. They'll have an excuse though, maybe blame the pump and say it wasn't calibrated correctly, or something like that.

If the Colts defensive back knew the ball was under-inflated when he caught it, the Patriots would have known too, even if the under inflation was inadvertent.

[KamaAina]

14. As would the refs

who handle the ball after every single play. Every. Single. Play.

[Capt. Obvious]

19. We need to check Walt Coleman's bank account stat

see if any mysterious deposits were made this weekend.

[KamaAina]

21. Nice post, Alex Jones!

[Initech]

59. ESPN lies to us!!!

[KamaAina]

66. Well, they are based in Connecticut

What do you expect?

[TheBlackAdder]

23. True. Refs, and all of the players, handle enough footballs to know when they are soft or not. nt

[Avalux]

30. Yes but may not have noticed since they don't grip and squeeze it.

Brady definitely knew, so did the center, and anyone catching the ball.

[sharp_stick]

43. Yes they do grip and squeeze it

Especially every time a new ball comes onto the field, it's part of the job to check the ball before it's put into play.

[Avalux]

45. Thank you for explaining.

If that's the case then they knew too.

[berni_mccoy]

79. So did Luck and his Center. The same balls are used by both teams.

[Avalux]

84. Then why did ESPN say the only way they knew was when the ball was intercepted?

That meant to me that each team uses the balls their own balls.

[AgingAmerican]

89. Each team has it's own set of balls

...but they are all supplied by the home team.

[hughee99]

105. Not exactly. Each team is allowed it's own set of balls, but only the home team is required

to provide up to 12 additional balls. The visiting team has the option to bring 12 additional balls or not.
http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf


Rule 2 The Ball
Section 1
BALL DIMENSIONS
The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell.
The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case (natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight shall be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches; weight, 14 to 15 ounces.
The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.

Section 2
BALL SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game.

These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game.
In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper
ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the Commissioner.
In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center.
The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs).
Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing
field

[joeglow3]

124. That is correct. You should also notice on all change of possessions, though

i.e. kick offs and punts.

[jeff47]

127. The balls used for kicking plays are different. (nt)

[AgingAmerican]

88. Irrelevent

The Colts didn't supply the balls, so it isn't an issue with the Colts.

It's an issue for New England because Brady has previously stated a preference for under inflated balls

They did the same thing last time they played the colts and the NFL was aware of it coming into this game, so this was an ongoing issue.

The NFL was watching them on Sunday, and they got caught. They must really fear Andrew Luck.

[Warren Stupidity]

160. I thought so too, but that is not true.

Both teams supply 12 balls two hours before the game. Those balls are checked and controlled by the refs. Then each team has control over their 12 balls for the duration of the game, with a designated "ball boy" in charge of the team's balls. Each team supplies the ball for the game while their team is on offense.

I think that is the procedure, more or less. It is certainly possible for the ball boy to deflate balls.

[former9thward]

168. Possible but not likely.

They are in view of dozens of cameras.

[hughee99]

103. The refs may not have "noticed it" because it's not uncommon...

I've heard reports now that the Colts noticed this back in November (not sure why deflation would be necessary in a dome, though), that the Ravens noticed it last week, and that the Carolina kicker noticed it in a game unrelated to the Patriots. Is this one of those rules that's not really enforced strictly, at least until a complaint is made about it? It could be that everyone noticed it. If you watch an NFL game, you'll notice the refs are constantly griping, throwing and catching the ball in the process of setting the ball up for play. I don't believe it's possible they wouldn't notice a significant under-inflation, but find it somewhat likely they didn't care.

[liberal from boston]

48. Super Bowl

I never liked football & my question is probably stupid but if the Patriots benefited from the deflated football the Colts would have benefited also??? Local news reported use of deflated footballs was used in just 1/2 of the game. Also weather was a factor as it was really raining.

[jeff47]

129. They change balls frequently.

Also kicking plays use different balls than "regular" plays. So the Colts could have used properly-inflated balls, while the Patriots used under-inflated balls.

[truebluegreen]

178. Each team has its own balls

(or lack of them ) and then there are separate balls for kicking.

[MANative]

17. "If true, the Patriots cheated." Uh, no.

Utterly inconclusive until they determine how and why the balls were deflated. The meteorologist on our local station talked about this being a common occurrence. It's why you lose tire pressure in the winter. Graham Gano of the Panthers was quoted as saying that the balls regularly deflate in cold weather. Aaron Rodgers was quoted as saying that he prefers balls overinflated. Brad Johnson says he paid to have the balls scuffed up for the SB in 2003.

[AgingAmerican]

35. The balls they supplied the colts

...were not under inflated. 11 of the 12 balls the Brady's used were under inflated. Lame.

[MANative]

44. I've not heard anything about that yet. Lots of questions about whether they even weighed...

the Colts' balls.

[AgingAmerican]

53. They checked all the balls

Brady said in 2011 he likes deflated footballs

Why some quarterbacks prefer under inflated footballs

Even if they deflated all the balls to give Brady an edge, it's cheating. Obviously, Brady was aware of it, he is the one handling it all game long. Brady himself should be fined.

[onenote]

148. Do you have a link to back that up?

The links you posted say nothing about which balls were checked by the NFL.

[AgingAmerican]

149. Obviously it isn't an issue with the NFL

Or at least they aren't saying anything at this time. They are focusing on the Patriots balls, which would have been deflated after they were inspected by the officiating crew.

[onenote]

151. That's not the same as saying that the league checked the Colts' footballs when the checked the Pats

Its a rather significant issue if the during/post game check of the footballs was limited to the Pats footballs.

[AgingAmerican]

166. It is looking like only the Patriots balls were deflated

Which, if true, means they cheated.

Former NFL official Gerry Austin said he believes someone purposely let the air of out those footballs.

"My understanding is all 12 balls were under the 13 pounds (per square inch), but 11 of them were more than two pounds under the 13 pounds," he said on the "Mike & Mike" show on ESPN Radio on Wednesday morning. "I take away from that, somebody has let some air out of the balls. Do I have knowledge of whether they did or not? Both teams balls were brought in at halftime to my understanding and all 24 balls were checked. The Colts balls were still up to 13 pounds and the Patriots balls were not."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/report-colts-told-nfl-about-patriots-deflated-footballs-in-november-1.9829583

We will know in a couple days...

[onenote]

173. Yep. We should know more.

I have to say, however (and I'm not pinning this on you), the photo of under inflated footballs accompanying the Newsday story is bizarre. It gives the impression that the balls in question looked like those in the photo, which simply is not possible.

[Capt. Obvious]

57. I was at the game and I can tell you

the Colts had no balls.

[AgingAmerican]

67. Irrelevent

"But teacher, I would have gotten an A even if I hadn't cheated!"

[Capt. Obvious]

68. Enjoy the haterade

[AgingAmerican]

71. Right, it's 'hate'

nt

[Capt. Obvious]

74. Sorry, jealousy

nt

[AgingAmerican]

75. Weird

Flail much?

[Capt. Obvious]

77. No

nt

[AgingAmerican]

81. Wait, the plot thickens!

Apparently they did the same thing last November against the Colts, so the league was already aware and watching for it! This is not looking good for the Bradys!

Colts Told NFL Pats Were Deflating Balls in November

[Capt. Obvious]

82. Yes the Colts had their balls deflated in that game too

Belicheat has Luck's number.

[Nyc72dem]

85. Haha

N/t

[AgingAmerican]

167. Yeah, sure they did

nt

[4Q2u2]

161. Colts were home team

They control the balls and the ballboy is an employee of the Colts for the November game.
I bet you would not hear one word of this if the Colts won.
Pats knew Arron Rogers over inflates his footballs, they lost to him. They shut up and moved on, knowing the outcome is about how you play. If you lose, it was your fault and nobody else'. Losers whine about how other things made them lose.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28969-2004Sep17.html
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/5423839-74/cowher-patriots-game#axzz3PUeQfyia

Too many others to list.

[AgingAmerican]

175. So cheating is acceptable

Because the Patriots apparently have no issues with teams doing it?

Ever heard of integrity?

[4Q2u2]

190. Ever Hear of Suck for Luck

Pot meet mirror.

[adigal]

40. I agree with you but it seems that many of the good liberals here think cheating doesn't matter

And yes, the Patriots would have won anyway. That it totally and completely besides the point. This was blatant cheating and a fine and loss of draft pick, which is a very high number anyway because they had a good season, is a joke. The NFL is a total joke. AND it is nonprofit, which should immediately be revoked.

[gopiscrap]

87. I totally agree!

[Nye Bevan]

8. No, but huge fines and take away draft picks. (nt)

[FLPanhandle]

20. That'll likely be the punishment

Fines won't do much, but losing a 1st round draft pick would keep this from happening again.

[mythology]

96. A fine and the loss of a draft pick after illegally spying didn't stop this

No, Belichick needs to be banned and the game forfeited.

Unfortunately the NFL will put off any punishment until after the Super Bowl and it will be a pathetic slap on the wrist. And in the future there will be another incident of Belichick cheating because he either isn't good enough, or doesn't believe he's good enough to win without it.

As somebody who is an athlete, I find it utterly pathetic that people would cheat to win and can still look in the mirror. But it's not just the Patriots. Seattle says they have the best defense in the NFL but lead the league in players suspended for performance enhancing drugs and that's with Richard Sherman squirming his way out of a suspension on a technicality.

[BillZBubb]

104. The Seahawks have one of the highest number of PED violations.

Should Pete Carroll be banned?

[opiate69]

111. How many have they had this season?

[PeteSelman]

9. Absolutely not.

They won by 38 points. They would have won no matter what they played with. There's no way this made a bit of difference. Just more whining from teams that lost.

[Orrex]

12. Oh, come on.

If they hadn't cheated, they would likely have won by only 35 points. Big difference!

[ProfessorGAC]

145. Well, That Quantifies It Perfectly

2 psig is about worth 3 points of margin in a victory this convincing.

[AgingAmerican]

42. If it is just whining

...then why do they stand to lose draft picks over it?

[Capt. Obvious]

52. Because that's what some writers desperately hope to happen

[AgingAmerican]

54. Ah, that explains it

The NFL isn't even involved. It's those dad bleemin' MSM writers!

[Capt. Obvious]

58. My mistake

It's right there at the top of the homepage.

http://www.nfl.com/

[Threedifferentones]

93. The Pats are the most succesfful franchise over the past decade or so...because?

Over the past decade they have been caught cheating now TWICE. During that span other teams have been caught cheating (other than PEDs)...wait for it...ZERO TIMES.

Thirty one teams have not been caught cheating at all. One has been caught cheating now twice. That team is the most successful team in the league.

But that is obviously just a coincidence.

Losing a first round pick is a joke. Fines to these millionaires are jokes.

The Pats got fined and lost a pick the last time they got caught cheating and have continued to win and win. Of course we now know they have continued to cheat...but that's NOT the reason they win!

After all, a coach who tampers with game balls and video tapes other teams' signals must be winning because he is just much more clever at "scheming"...lol, that's the best pun I've made this week!

[Capt. Obvious]

94. Aww

[Threedifferentones]

98. Ya, uh huh.

The reason an honest sport clamps down extra hard on cheaters is the suspicion that a person who breaks one rule will break more if he thinks he can get away with it. You'll post pithy come backs instead of substantive counter points because there are no counters to something so obviously true.

I'm not an NFL fan really, I only watch some of the playoff games and pretty much none of the regular season. If the Pats were honest I would be impressed by their dynastic ways.

Your post implies that I'm only writing this because I'm upset the Pats win. But, I spend little time thinking about football. You're the one with the Pats logo as your icon on a political message board.

Your post is thus ironic. You dismiss our undeniable criticisms because to admit that your heroes are cheats would cause you too much pain.

Really, it's just a game, and your attitude is childish. You're not even on the team, you should get over it and support someone who plays by the rules.

[Capt. Obvious]

99. This makes my red, white and blue blood boil

[11 Bravo]

107. "Caught cheating (other than PEDs) ZERO TIMES". Fucking classic!

Richard Nixon: Accused of violating his oath of office and committing high crimes and misdemeanors (other than that Watergate thing) ZERO TIMES".

There's faulty logic, and then there's … whatever the Hell that was.

[Threedifferentones]

112. Ya, the leader of the Pats should have resigned after getting caught the first time.

Just like Nixon.

[hughee99]

153. Yes... other than offering bounties for knocking players out of games (Saints),

coaches tripping players who were running down the field out of bounds (Jets), and, of course, heating up footballs during a cold weather game (Vikings/Panthers game this season - it's in the same section of rules as the inflation pressure). The NFL was so concerned about the last one that they asked the teams not to do that anymore AND, I believe, issued a memo to all teams that you can't warm up the game balls with a sideline heater.

Not counting PED's, of course.

[Dont call me Shirley]

164. New Orleans Saints, for paying their players to intentionally injure opposing team players

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7638603/new-orleans-saints-defense-had-bounty-program-nfl-says

[Corey_Baker08]

179. I Agree, Given The Pats History, This Should Be Investigated...

[d_b]

159. This all day

(Giants fan here) Pats would have wiped their asses with the colts either way: deflated footballs, beach balls, mothballs, whatever.

If the league can prove bill had a hand in this, fine - take away their picks. If not, stay salty, my friends.

[Orrex]

10. The NCAA should vacate their 110 victories

And then give them back after a lot of self-aggrandizing wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[sarisataka]

11. Given the team's history

of cheating and clearly past sanctions have not worked, declaring the game forfeit seems reasonable.

[KamaAina]

13. The definitive word on the subject

from rabid Pats fan Will Pitt.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/120451150

[adigal]

47. He sure is rabid - an example of moral relativism

It's ok if my team cheats.

[cleanhippie]

15. No, but belicheck should be suspended for the game.

[Initech]

56. He should be flat out banned.

Seriously baseball banned Pete Rose for less than this.

[cleanhippie]

60. I can't disagree.

[Capt. Obvious]

16. That doesn't go far enough

There needs to be blood!

[Paladin]

18. At a minimum, the Pats should forfeit a whole lot of draft picks.

They're getting a well-deserved reputation as a thug organization.

[JackRiddler]

22. Can someone explain this to me...

Same ball for both teams, right? What are the effects of ball under-inflation such that it privileges either? What are the specifics of this supposed plot? How does it given an advantage to the Patriots?

[rbrnmw]

36. nope 12 per side plus x amount for special teams

[JackRiddler]

38. What?

Are you doing that on purpose?

[dsc]

106. He is saying

that there are three different supplies of balls provided. 12 go for when the Patriots are on offence, 12 for when the Colts are on offence, and another supply when special teams (punting, field goals, kickoffs). The Patriots supplied all three of the sets of balls. Off the 12 for when the Patriots were on offence 11 were underinflated. Apparently none of the rest were.

[Capt. Obvious]

114. I believe the Colts brought their own balls as is custom since 2005(?)

They didn't make it to the field though.

[dsc]

117. all the accounts I have read stated that the home team supplies all the balls

with the usage as I have outlined. If it is what you are saying that mitigates it some in my mind but again I have read 3 different accounts all stating what I said.

[Warren Stupidity]

162. nope each team supplies 12 offense balls for their team.

[MANative]

39. Each team supplies their own balls for offensive play. Balls for kickoffs are...

provided by the NFL.

Better grip in wet weather.

No plot alleged or uncovered as of this morning. Could be purely circumstantial. Balls (like the tires on your car) deflate in cold weather, especially after having been in a warm locker room.

They need to have checked the Colts' balls too. The same could have been true of theirs. If they didn't, it's gross investigatory incompetence. And BTW, the refs handled those balls on every single down. If there had been a problem, they should have raised it a lot earlier.

[AgingAmerican]

70. The home team supplies all the balls

Digest of Rules Main
Ball
The home club shall have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor games available for testing with a pressure gauge by the referee two hours prior to the starting time of the game to meet with League requirements. Twelve (12) new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked with the letter "k" and used exclusively for the kicking game.

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/ball

[onenote]

150. The digest of the rules you cite is not the official rulebook

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/digestofrules

The official rulebook, which is cited above, states the rules surrounding the provision of footballs (including the period in advance of the game when the balls must be checked) differently than the digest. And the digest takes a back seat to the rulebook.

[cleanhippie]

50. No, each team provides 12 balls for their offense to use.

None of the Indy balls were under inflated

[shenmue]

24. Gee, it's funny

how cheating is okay if it's your own team.

[FLPanhandle]

25. Why don't the ref's or NFL supply the balls?

Seems like allowing each team to supply the ball is just opening the door to cheating.

[JackRiddler]

102. Indeed.

It's opening the door to both, cheating and to bullshit controversies. But oh wait, TV pays most of the bills, and needs to fill many empty days between games, so bullshit controversies have to be found or made, one way or another.

[NaturalHigh]

119. That was my question too.

[Johonny]

139. I imagine it is an old policy and the NFL hates to change it to give the Refs even more power

They don't want to do anything to helps the Refs union and their claim to be full time employees. Given the refs are part time, the NFL goes out of the way to low ball them in salary, and they control many aspects of the game; I've always imagined the NFL referees are very susceptible to cheating in many forms as well. One might assume the NFL has a lot of problems with cheating and does little to curb it.

[MohRokTah]

27. Absolutely not. At worst, they should be fined $275K and *possibly* lost a first round draft pick.

The rules call for a $25K fine for over or under inflating a game ball and possible other sanctions.

Forfeiture of a game already decided goes beyond the pale.

[pintobean]

32. The Ravens should play the Colts this weekend

Winner plays the Seahawks.

[Nyc72dem]

33. No we have no proof they did anything yet.

Are you kidding me?

[gopiscrap]

41. if you read the poll question correctly

it asks "if proven" not if alleged...IF PROVEN!

[Nyc72dem]

46. Oh oh if PROVEN ....

If it was proven that Tom Brady had a safety pin on him then fine ban him and send him to Iraq.

Now for reality...the Ravens say the ball was deflated in their game too?!? Ha! Yeah ok. Pile it in guys.

Why didn't the Ravens bring it up then? They were too busy saying the Patriots cheated on formations. Good lord. Anything else?!?

And didn't this issue get resolved during halftime? Wasn't that when they checked the balls and found them "deflated"? So they must have fixed it. Then with the new improved balls the Patriots scored 28 points and Indy nothing.

THEY COULD HAVE PLAYED WITH A HAM and still won.

[nilesobek]

49. I vote no.

This stupid ball controversy has served to alert the Seahawks that Belicek hasn't stopped thinking and scheming. The Patriots should be viewed as a five-alarm fire. Pete Carroll will have all hands on deck. I heard they are going to play defensive starters on special teams.

Its too bad this might mar the final game in some way. I don't care if they are playing with ping-pong balls. Seahawks are ready.

[Capt. Obvious]

63. It's going to be a great game

I hope the media talks about nothing but the Patriots balls for the next two weeks.

[nilesobek]

69. Yeah it gives those shock jocks on ESPN radio something to talk about.

Lets face it. They can only run through the matchups and repeat their broadcasts so many times.

As a fanatic I'm a lot more worried about the tackle eligible play that the Patriots are running. A legal play. I'm sure the Seahawks are working on that too. I predict a close game.

[Capt. Obvious]

76. I'm thinking it's going to be a one score game

right down to the wire.

[RiffRandell]

142. Lmao!

Yup, I can't wait!

[benld74]

62. I voted no

because
NFL, only cares about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[dilby]

72. It's too late to forfeit the game.

The only option is to heavily penalize the Patriots after the Superbowl. Loss of draft pics, fines and an indefinite suspension of Belichick. This is his second major cheating scandal and the NFL needs to come down hard on him.

[Pathwalker]

73. Those balls don't account for the Colts lousy performance with

their own balls. Missed field goals, intercepted passes, blocked passes and all around lousy job - with their OWN balls - mean that the Patriots won that game.

[Nyc72dem]

83. Couldn't have said it better

They ran out of luck!

[opiate69]

86. Actually they may.

The whole point of the scandal is that softer balls are much easier to grip, and therefore throw and catch, in cold, wet weather.

[Pathwalker]

91. The Colts had their own balls when they missed the field goals,

Luck threw the Colts balls which the Pats blocked by jumping and knocking them down. Plus, the Pats managed to catch those Colts balls. The wind also played it's part. I don't think a Pats balls made that one field goal kick by the Colts take a hard left turn in mid-air - the wind did that.

[brendan120678]

146. Patriots still would have won, but that doesn't

mean that the allegations, if somehow proven true, should just be ignored. They should still be punished if they indeed cheated.

[Pathwalker]

156. If proven true, they will be, according to NFL rules,

and only NFL rules. Which, I predict, will please no one.

[The Great Escape]

92. "I Misinterpreted The Rules"

[Douglas Carpenter]

97. Know as much about football as I know about golf and I don't even know which end you hold the caddy

Last edited Thu Jan 22, 2015, 07:39 AM - Edit history (1)

[Capt. Obvious]

101. The Scotts invented the game

only they call it GOFF

[truebluegreen]

180. The Scotts call themselves "Scots". nt

[underpants]

100. No. That isn't a possible punishment and we have two "reports"

The NFL has not made any official statement.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

109. Does each side use only its own balls on offense?

Or did both teams play with the same deflated balls? If the latter, then I don't see the big advantage, although I do deplore cheating even if it doesn't work.

[Iggo]

122. Three sets of footbals: one set for Colts offense, one set for Patriots offense, one set for Kickers

[Sancho]

116. They should replay the game and the Patriots have to wear bread bags over their shoes!

[gopiscrap]

125. Thank you! That's the best answer yet!!!

[Denis 11]

118. Pats are disgraced enough. no to forfeit.

[aikoaiko]

120. The refs should be banned from post season games for a season.

It's the refs job to catch this during play.

[Kaleva]

121. Not until deflategate is proven to NOT be a false flag operation.

[jmowreader]

123. I don't like forfeit as a penalty

The Colts played badly enough on both sides of the ball that whether the ball had enough air in it is a non-issue...Belichick could have sent Brady, the water boy, the towel boy, the bus driver, the medic and six cheerleaders out there and still scored on the Colts. If we were talking Tannehill vs Kaepernick and a one-TD victory then underinflated balls could be an issue...but with the level of beating the Colts took I don't think it is.

It could also be interesting to put a gauge on the Colts' balls. Since they all come from one factory, this would eliminate the weather theory...if the Colts were also playing with flat balls then either the weather was the culprit or both sides were cheating.

[Nyc72dem]

126. Yeah let's check every ball every game

I'm sure COUNTLESS "deflated" balls have been used un-noticed.

[jmowreader]

141. Either that, or get away from this ironclad rule

Aaron Rodgers says he likes an overinflated ball. If there was no pressure rule he'd probably put 25 psi in it.

I downloaded the NFL rulebook,,,it reads like an army regulation. And some of that shit is pretty extreme, like the numbering regulation.

[gopiscrap]

128. Watch the owner say:

"Somehow this is Obama's fault!"

[shenmue]

133. I wonder why Rush Limbaugh hasn't said that already

I bet he'll get to it soon.

[brendan120678]

130. Not forfeit, but I suppose the league should...

fine the team (again), dock them a few years worth of first-round draft picks, and - best of all - ban Belichick from the game for a few years.

[gopiscrap]

132. I agree Belicheck should be banned

[Johonny]

136. The only time they've banned is for gambling and... when someone got caught doing exactly what the

league told them not to do. This would be Belicheats second offense and God knows what else he does, but they aren't related. I doubt we even see a fine. I expect a rule change for 2016 and that's all.

[hifiguy]

131. Nah.

If it were a close game, the case could be made for a replay but that was a complete stomping of the Colts on both sides of the ball. The Pats would have won anyway but maybe only by two touchdowns or 17 points. That was an ass-whupping any way you look at it.

[gopiscrap]

135. But it's still cheating if true

who's to say they won't cheat again in a close game...to me, there's gotta be some sanctions

[Johonny]

134. Now you might see a rule change where the refs control game balls up to kick off...

The NFL simply doesn't forfeit games. If anything happens and doubt anything will; it will be a small fine for the owner. Unless the NFL turns up something more... then I doubt you'll even see a suspension.

[shenmue]

137. I do think this is a serious problem

I wonder if there will be a Congressional hearing. If the claims are true, they in effect tried to fix the game, and that is tampering with matters of popular national trade at a high level.

[Fred Sanders]

143. Replay the game in Iraq using a soccer ball.

[LeftOfWest]

147. Pats haven't won a super bowl since spygate.

Good question gopiscrap (and they are crap for sure, sorry to threadjack).


I am not sure what the answer is either.

[Stephen Retired]

155. Whatasillyquestion!

I'll let my avatar speak for itself.

[Dont call me Shirley]

157. At least their alleged crime isn't criminal, like a certain coach who paid his players to injure

opposing teams players. He should have gone to jail.

[gopiscrap]

171. who did that?

[Dont call me Shirley]

172. "saints" 2012

Sean Peyton had to take a year off.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7638603/new-orleans-saints-defense-had-bounty-program-nfl-says

[Reter]

163. How though? Cancel the Superbowl?

Or have another team sub in?

[brooklynite]

165. Option 6: go out and see a movie on Sunday...

[Blue_In_AK]

169. I don't really have an opinion

on what should be done, but I think it's pretty despicable to cheat, especially when they won by so much.

[cheapdate]

170. Too late. It's past. Let the game begin!

[closeupready]

174. Yes. Has me thinking, how much in common does this have with the Black Sox.

[spanone]

176. folks in indiana are pretty pissed

according to my brother & sis who live near indy

[machI]

181. This has to stop

[font size=5]
Everybody knows that only the Raiders are allowed to cheat!

[/font]

[abelenkpe]

182. Cheating is rewarded by our society

So there's not going to be any justice. You know that right?

[eridani]

183. I'm missing something. Doesn't the other team use the same balol? n/t

[liberalhistorian]

184. Definitely, unquestionably YES.

Especially since this is not BeliCHEAT's first go-round with serious cheating and the half-million-dollar fines and draft sanctions from that time obviously didn't work. At that time, BeliCHEAT should have been fired and blackballed from ever coaching in the NFL again.

I am enough of a realist, however, to know that that simply will not happen, in no small part due to Goodell being a simpering chickenshit who could not withstand the ensuing shitstorm.

[Generic Brad]

186. They should be allowed to only use deflated balls

If they want soft balls - let's go all out and let Brady throw a totally limp ball. That should be karmic justice.

[Capt. Obvious]

189. By the time I get to Arizona

[oberliner]

191. Preposterous suggestion

If there is to be any punishment imposed, it will be in the form of the coach being suspended for a game or two next season.

[taught_me_patience]

192. Whoever voted "yes" is crazy

The punishment should be 100k and a 4th round draft pick. This is so minor in the scheme of things.