The NFL has determined that the New England Patriots used under-inflated footballs, which are easier to throw in bad weather, in the victory over Indianapolis that sent them to the Super Bowl. Patriot coach Bill Belichick also cheated against St. Louis in 2007 when he was found to have spied on a practice, affecting another Super Bowl-related game.
The penalty for this kind of thing is a minimum $25,000 team fine, plus maybe the loss of a draft pick. But doesn’t this merit forfeiting the game and, this being a second offense, the banning of the coach from the game?
From NFL says Patriots used 11 under-inflated footballs – Sports – The Boston Globe:
The Patriots used underinflated footballs on Sunday night.
The next question is how did it happen?
According to a National Football League letter about the investigation into the controversy that was shared with the Globe, the Patriots were informed that the league’s initial findings indicated that the game balls did not meet specifications. The league inspected each of the Patriots’ 12 game balls twice at halftime, using different pressure gauges, and found footballs that were not properly inflated.
According to ESPN, 11 of the 12 game balls were found to be underinflated by about 2 pounds each. The NFL specifications say they must be inflated to 12½ to 13½ pounds.
The investigation is still ongoing.
A league spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and earlier in the day, NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent told Pro Football Talk that the investigation would ideally be complete within two or three days.
If the Patriots are found to have deliberately doctored footballs, the organization can be fined a minimum of $25,000, and if the NFL finds the incident egregious, the Patriots could potentially lose a draft pick. In 2007, commissioner Roger Goodell took away a first-round draft pick and fined Patriots coach Bill Belichick after determining the team had spied on an opponent.
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