PATRIOT GAMES. Last Sunday, DQwell Jackson of the Indianapolis Colts intercepted a pass thrown by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, carried it to the sideline, and flipped it to a Colts equipment manager. The manager thought the ovoid felt spongy, and presented it to the refs at halftime. The ball proved to be underinflated, and it was announced after the game that the Pats were being investigated for soft balls. Such tampering could confer an advantage in the wet conditions of the IND-NE game; the deflated balls might be easier to grip. NFL games does not use its Wilson footballs right out of the box. The balls are buffed, scuffed, and fondled to the specifications of a teams quarterback, who will often be exacting about their conditions. The Colts did not use the same balls, instead using balls suiting the tastes of Andrew Luck, their own signal caller, when they were on offense. The Patriots have laughed off accusations of doctoring the balls, which are inspected by the referees prior to the game to ensure that they meet NFL standards. However, the League investigation has now revealed that 11 of the 12 Patriot game balls were underinflated; they were 2 pounds of pressure short of the NFLs minimum. As Hall of Famer Jerry Rice has tweeted, that doesnt look much like random variation. Tom Brady, who dismissed the suspicions with a snort, must have detected the squishy balls. Eli Manning, the Giants field general, says he would know immediately if he were mistakenly given a ball not prepared for him. Bill Belichick, the rafty Coach in the Cowl, has previously gotten into trouble for rule-bending; he and his team were disciplined for illegal taping the hand signals of opponents. You might ask why a dominant team that thrashed the Colts 45-7 would need to seek an unfair advantage. The answer, I guess, is that fulfills a need and expresses their nature. Belichick increasingly reminds me of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars. Some people would rather win with devious tactics than win fair-and-square victories. They dont feel like theyve fully beaten you unless theyve cheated you to boot. The League is surely beside itself as the shadow of suspicion as fallen on its evil genius just as it prepares for its grand spectacle, the Super Bowl. Even if not much comes of this contretemps, it will surely help to cement Belichicks reputation for superfluous cunning and sketchy ethics,
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 07:25:12 +0000
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