Deflategate is not an issue
Okay, okay, fine. I’ll talk about the non-story that is deflategate. This thing isn’t even an issue. It’s only being talked about because it’s the Patriots, because of spygate, because it’s the evil Bill Belichick and the crybaby Tom Brady. A deflated football might have a slight effect on a game, but it doesn’t make up for a 45-7 discrepancy on the scoreboard. It doesn’t make up for the Colts defense not being able to tackle LeGarrette Blount. It doesn’t make up for Andrew Luck’s 23 passer rating.
What bugs me about this entire situation, though, is that the referee apparently couldn’t tell the ball was deflated during the game. The referee has to spot the ball every single play, they should have noticed the ball was as drastically under-inflated as the claims say.
And because the referees didn’t mention anything, it tells me this is just commonplace in the NFL, or not a very big deal. I’m sure the Patriots are not the only team in the league to use under-inflated balls. To me, this is only being talked about because it’s the Patriots and because their isn’t a meaningful game this weekend and people need their fix of NFL news.
If the Patriots didn’t have spygate on their record, deflategate probably wouldn’t even result in a penalty. Some say they should be fined money, some say they should be docked a draft pick, some say there should be suspensions. I get that this is a violation of the rules but technically jaywalking is against the law and subject to a fine up to $1,000. I highly doubt anybody has ever actually been ticketed for it.
If the referees spots the ball and could feel the squishy football, they should have said something. If they didn’t say anything their shouldn’t have been an investigation, penalties, anything because the people who enforce the rules, choose to just let it happen. It’s not fair to go back after the fact. If the NFL feels it’s such a serious violation that a draft pick needs to be docked they every referee who touched the ball should be penalized as well.
The other thing to remember is that the referees changed out all the ball at halftime. After halftime the Patriots scored 28 unanswered points. It’s not an issue, the only problem is if the NFL wants to make it an issue.
Corey Johns
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