Getty ImagesEight weeks ago today, Ted Wells said that the investigation into whether the Patriots tampered with air pressure in footballs during the AFC championship game would require “at least several more weeks.” Last week, Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed to Peter King of TheMMQB.com a belief that the process is moving toward a conclusion.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said. “I think he’s getting near the end, but there’s no requirement when.”
Goodell said that he gave no thought to making an effort to get the situation resolved before the Super Bowl so that it wouldn’t mar the week before the game (which it obviously did).
“I think the most important thing is to get the right information, to get the facts and to get the truth,” Goodell told King. “And not to make any judgments until you get that. We have been very careful on that. We followed the facts. We took the information. We determined that we should bring Ted Wells to further the investigation. We haven’t given him a timetable except to be thorough, be fair and get to the truth. When he’s completed his report, that will be made public as well as to all of us.”
As a practical matter, the investigation couldn’t have been concluded during the week of the Super Bowl, because the NFL’s gathering of facts has been supplemented by the performance of experiments by qualified experts regarding the changes in football air pressure under various conditions. Those experts also had intended to learn precisely how the Patriots prepare footballs before the game, with the goal of duplicating that process in order to determine whether the air pressure in any way changes.
“I think that if you’re going to be thorough, it takes time,” Goodell said. “You’re having to meet with a lot of people. I guess it’s always too long, because you want to get to that issue and deal with it. It’s important not to exert any pressure to short-circuit or do anything other than be fair and transparent.”
Some would say that the NFL would have preferred that the report not be released with the league meetings looming. Just as the then-fresh controversy cast a shadow over the Super Bowl, the report would have resulted in every coach, owner, and G.M. being asked to react to the outcome on and off the record at the league meetings.
Goodell also made it clear that he didn’t hear about the concern regarding potential deflation of footballs until after the game.
“Let’s just short circuit this a little bit,” Goodell said regarding the perception that Goodell knew about the situation and wanted to catch the Patriots in the act. “I’m not going to get into what we knew and when we knew it because that’s part of what he’s investigating. . . . I can tell you that I was not personally aware of it until after the game.”
While Goodell may not have been personally aware of it, some (including the Patriots) believe V.P. of game operations Mike Kensil knew about it before the game, because Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson has since admitted that he alerted the league office to the concerns in the week preceding the contest. The concern isn’t that the entire league office planned a sting operation, but that Kensil decided on his own that he would catch the Patriots red-handed, especially after Grigson contacted Kensil during the first half to complain that a ball intercepted by Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson seemed to be underinflated.
Despite the official absence of a timetable, unofficially a decision needs to come before the draft starts on April 30, since the stripping of one or more draft picks would be among the potential punishments, if there’s a finding of guilt.
Peter King serves up grapefruit questions for the commish. Journalism weeps.
Good. Throw the book at them. Enjoy losing your first round picks for the next three years!
And the result is? The Colts are GUILTY! The New England Patriots are to receive The Colts 2015 first round draft pick, and both Kensil and Grigson to receive a one year suspension. Done.
I’m at the end of caring……..
Troy Vincent said it would only take a couple of days…
My bet is Wells had this all but wrapped up weeks ago, but was told to sit on it.
Dragging out “investigations” in order to lessen the impact of the inevitable “inconclusive” findings is disgusting and disingenuous. And 100% effective.
As soon as Kraft agrees to get the other owners to increase his pay and extend his contract, Goodell will make this all go away.
New England Patriots are Superbowl Champs!
* = ooh, that smarts!
Its NE = it will be swept under the rug, then Goodell and Kraft can go out to dinner to celebrate and laugh at all teams not named patriots. NE lives to cheat again.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said. “I think he’s getting near the end, but there’s no requirement when.”
Horrible way to run a business.
He means to say that his 140 letter draft of apologizing to the Patriots for this stupid witch-hunt is almost complete.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said. “I think he’s getting near the end, but there’s no requirement when.”
Roger “Mr Magoo” Goodell keeps going on oblivious to everything that is happening in the league he oversees.
Colts time of possession of only football deflated by 2 PSI = approx. 22:00
Colts possession of football during game – 22:11
SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!!!!
Based on how the last couple of years has gone for the NFL front office, I would imagine the investigation has already been completed.
Now it’s just a matter of WHEN to release it to try to minimize the scrutiny / backlash.
Here’s hoping that someone with an ax to grind against the NFL has the lowdown on the investigation findings and decides to selectively ‘leak’ information from it to mess with them.
Dez caught it
If Goodell is looking for advice on how to properly apologize to Kraft he’d better not turn to Arthur Fonzarelli b/c Robert will demand a little more than an, “I’m S———–.”
Translation: Sales of NE SB gear have tapered off.
mrbigass says:
“I’m at the end of caring……..”
And thus Goodell’s plan is a success. Ridiculous farce from day 1.
New England Patriots are Superbowl Champs!****
If there’s no punishment, why not commit the crime?
If this was little league baseball it would be over and done with months ago. Goodell could screw up a bowl of cereal.
It is commonly suggested in these comments, that the league goes out of its way to cover up things, as a way to protect the Patriots. I think that is complete BS, and it is simply manufactured by the whiney fans so that there is always a way to spin things negatively against the Patriots. Its sort of like accusing them of using steroids, and then demanding they prove they didnt (which is not possible, so the accuser always has the ability to sling those accusations without ever being proven wrong). Anyways, to my point, I agree there is going to be a cover up here.
But the cover up wont help the Patriots, the cover up will prevent the embarrassment of league officials conspiring with a team (Colts) to set up another team (Pats) in the league. I dont think there is anything that could ever stain the league more than that. And after 2 months of this baloney, its pretty obvious they have nothing on the Pats because the Pats werent engaged in any nefarious activities. The Colts and Kinsel on the other hand, as well as the league employee who was stealing and selling game balls, have not done anything to prove they didnt conspire to set up the Pats. So Goodell says he didnt know about it, and I am sure he didnt. But Kinsel knew, and Kinsel was on a mission to destroy the Patriots, and he ended up falling flat on his face
Maybe they give me the colts first rounder for this and the jets for tampering with Revis… Dynasty #2
…just need to destroy a few more pieces of evidence and I’ll be all set…
It needs to be wrapped up before the draft so the Colts know how many picks they’ll lose.
what a complete and total joke.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said.
Bullcrap.
Swept under the rug.
I’m surprised King did anything more than ask Goodell what his favorite color is, or to what he attributes the success of the league. That’s generally what King does. NFL’s mouthpiece.
Um…YEAH!!!!
I think it was over before it began, but thanks for the chuckles, Raj.
We can say with near-certainty that the results of the investigation will be released on a Friday afternoon.
Shhhhhhhhh…
The Patriot’s reputation has already been cast in stone, which is all that matters at this point.
What a disgraceful legacy.
Sounds like it’s an investigation of the “investigation”
There is absolutely no way Goodell lets Wells expose the corrupt nature of the league. He will just say they couldnt find anything on the Pats and let people call them cheaters for another decade.
It’s a little like focusing on your acne when you have life-threatening cancer.
And let’s face it, no matter what Goodell does, he can’t win. If they came to a conclusion during SB week, fans would have said he rushed to judgment. Take your time and they say you are sweeping it under the rug. The average commentator here isn’t prepared to be reasonable or rationale.
I’m not saying Goodell is doing a good job running the NFL. I don’t think he is. At the same time I find no fault in the league taking time to get the facts correct.
Now, where’s the update on the Browns calling down to the sidelines and the Falcons piping in noise? Why haven’t those things been settled by now? Yeah. I did that on purpose.
If the patriots are found not guilty which I think they will only because it’s the patriots, The Colts should have to pay the price whatever that may be….. Go bills!!
I have been searching for an appropriate symbol for the Patriots organization for years to signify resilience, resourcefulness, and the capacity to entertain and inform through leadership and innovations in game strategy. The deliberate safety in a comeback win over the Broncos in 2003, the use of legal formations in the victory over the Ravens this year’s playoffs, the drafting of versatility and cross-training of players for use on offense and defense (e.g., Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel), the analysis of game film to prepare key personnel for what an opponent will throw at them on the field (e.g., ‘Man 3’ and Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl) are all examples. The best symbol I could come up with for the way Belichick has stayed one step ahead of the league while providing a model for league evolution is … the North Star. Otherwise known as Polaris. It’s a perfect symbol given its role in seafaring navigation (Belichick’s ties to the Navy). So here it is.
*
When you see this, you know to honor the Patriots.
Who takes Peter King seriously?
The deflated footballs will be swept under the rug like Spygate and the Patriots will carry on buisness as usual. Real football fans will forever have asterisks next to their SB wins.
* = part of dynasty run
Let’s see…Grigson (who initiated this entire debacle), contacted Kensil to complain that the intercepted ball appeared underinflated, yet D’Qwell Jackson said he felt no such thing after his own team reported that he brought it to the Colts attention, which he personally said was not true at all. Hmmm………..
Oh, and in a side note (to members of the jury) — the Patriots have been soundly beating the Colts for years.
I’m not a lawyer, but do we have motive?
Goodell: “I’m trying to think, but nothing happens”
Remember how Reevis and Browner were taking big pay cuts to stay with the Pats?
LOL
Pure gold.
Will Pats ever win a SB that requires no *****?
One question begs to be answered….why did the refs who spotted the balls in question not detect an inflation issue existed?
Who cares about the report. The pathetic whining Patriot haters have already found them guilty of everything including the Kennedy assassination. Shoot first and ask questions later.
If the investigation revealed info damaging to the Pats, then it would have already been concluded.
If the investigation revealed info damaging to the league, then it will continue to drag on, waiting for the appropriate time when it can be quickly buried in the media.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said. “I think he’s getting near the end, but there’s no requirement when.”
________________
So you think he’s getting near the end.
You haven’t spoken to the lead investigator in several weeks but yet somehow, you think he’s getting near the end.
You get paid roughly $20k/hour but you haven’t followed up in several weeks on a remarkably high-profile, high public-interest investigation that was expected to wrap up last month?
I can’t imagine how many lies he told in that particular interview alone.
Patriots continue to bend the rules to change the outcome of NFL games. Why would the commish pay attention to that type of investigation? Bill and Kraft will walk again and Bill will not be able to help himself and get tied to something again next season. It’s the patriot way.
Reggie Bush got caught breaking the rules and had to give back his trophy. The Pats should have to return the Lombardi’s. All of them.
The Patriots (Tom Brady) got caught trying to gain a competitive advantage, again, and considering their history they need to be punished accordingly. Taking draft picks isn’t enough. Tom Brady needs to be suspended for the first quarter (4 games) of the season. Like Mark Brunell said, Brady knew those footballs were deflated. Tom isn’t going to smile his way out of this one.
Joey Greco and the team from Cheaters Detective Agency would have had this wrapped up in a half hour.
.
Can anyone guess the PSI of Goodell’s head?
Politics.
Wait, the circus is still in town?
ikeclanton says: “I’m not a lawyer, but do we have motive?” – The Pats cheat because it is their DNA and they just cannot help themselves.
Remember that one time people claimed the Patriots were deflating footballs to win games and not fumble, and then they had 0 fumbles and the biggest 2nd half comeback in Super Bowl history using new game balls?
That made me laugh.
What an idiot!! He says he want’s to be fair and not pass judgement until all the facts are in and investigation is complete, yet the league leaked information that was detrimental to Patriots.
All Patriots haters have already cast the Patriots as cheaters based on what the league let out before finding out the facts. How would all you haters like to be treated like that if your neck were on the line?
No matter what happened Patriots will never be believed. It’s the nature of being a perennial winner. Your teams can’t compete on the field, so you have to come up with a reason why you can’t beat the best football organization ever!!!
As a Patriots fan I’m enjoying all this hypocrisy
Goodell refuses to deny that his right hand man and former Jets President Mike Kensil (a man with a MAJOR chip on his shoulder from when Belichick bolted from the Jets) had set the Patriots up
Then you have the competition committee changing the ineligible receiver rules, why?
Because the Ravens HC isn’t smart enough to understand what the implications are when the officials clearly explain to him that the man going in motion is INELIGIBLE
Then you have the Jets tampering on Revis (and the NFL knows the last time this happened and the Briggs didn’t even LEAVE his team, they had to swap 3rd rounders, meaning a 2nd rounder is in play here at the very least)
The league and the rest of the coaches look like fools and idiots
The Patriots meanwhile look like Super Bowl Champions
“I’m not going to get into what we knew and when we knew it because that’s part of what he’s investigating. . . . I can tell you that I was not personally aware of it until after the game.”
Is it just me or does this sound like Goodell is distancing himself from Kensil or perhaps others who may have run a sting operation to entrap the Patriots.
How shocking it is when the NFL opts to STALL on a hot button issue, until the story is a long ago distant memory far removed from the news cycle.
The NFL expects us to believe it took them TWO MONTHS to get to the bottom of an issue involving no more complexity than the workings of a teeter totter.
The Patriots – A history of cheating.
ReligionIsForIdiots says:
Mar 23, 2015 9:14 AM
Good. Throw the book at them. Enjoy losing your first round picks for the next three years!
_______________________________________
I’m wondering why so many down-votes? If you alert the league to supposed under-inflated balls, then take the air of an intercepted ball claiming it as evidence of what you accused….the Colts DO deserve to lose draft picks.
Maybe the Colts giving up three first rounders for three years is a bit harsh though?
So if grigston called kensel before the game why didn’t kensel tell the Pats to knock it off before the game started ? I meen if it such a big deal why would the NFL allow the first half of the AFC championship game be compromised ? Even if the Pats did do it the Fact that the NFL LET IT HAPPEN is so much worse than any thing the Pats allegedly did.
Does anyone believe the sentiment when Goodell says he “hasn’t spoken to Wells”? That might be literally the case, but this likely just means he, personally, hasn’t spoken to Wells. His secretary or assistant on the other hand, has probably spoken to him every day for the last two months.
It’s just unbelievable just how incredibly disingenuous Goodell sounds at all times. The NFL badly needs a new commissioner.
I wonder how many billable hours Ted Wells is up to now.
March 2 “This is Ted Wells caling for Roger”
“He is busy for the next several weeks, Would you care to hold please?”
Good ell should be ashamed of himself. He could have put this to rest along time ago but dragged it out? Why you ask? Because it was a league employee( Kensil) that ran this scam behind Goodells back with the knowledge of the reprehensible Jim Irsay. So by dragging it out, everyone thinks that the Pats are guilty no matter what the outcome is. The Patriots can’t defend themselves at this point. I just hope that Goodells ultimately does the right thing and clear the Patriots, but we are going to get some wishy washy half assed conclusion that will do nothing.
Goodell = Buffoon
D’Qwell Jackson said he couldn’t feel anything wrong with the ball he intercepted.
Subsequently he was arrested.
Two facts… They probably have nothing to do with each other. Probably.
realitycheckbaby says: Will Pats ever win a SB that requires no *****?
—————————————
There was no scandal related to the 2001-2004 Super Bowls.
There WAS an allegation that the one newspaper who reported it was forced to retract and admit they completely got the story wrong.
If there’s an asterisk with the 2001-2004 Super Bowls it should indicate that many NFL fans can’t understand what the word “retracted” means.
The rule in question for the 2007 season was not created until 2006.
The asterisk should also indicate that many NFL fans can’t grasp the concept that a 2006 rule change does not affect past outcomes.
The Colts got smoked by 38 pts and it had nothing to do with a football. The Patriots are just that much better and that’s why they’re World Champions. CryGate continues.
Good thing, I’m parched.
I would be surprised if New England is awarded any pick from Indy. I believe the Dolts will get a pick removed or something similar if they are found to have acted nefariously in the deflate gate issue.
Because of the tampering that involved Revis, combined with the compensatory picks the Patriots will receive for Wilfork, Browner and Revis.. giving New England an Indy pick on top would be waaay to much and cause an even bigger uproar from the masses. As it is, by the time the draft comes around all the talk is going to be about how “loaded” the Patriots are with picks after just having won a championship.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said.
Because that’s when he completed the investigation. That apology is going to really hurt, Roger.
–Mike
The New England ASTERISKS!!!!! What a classy organization!
Well, Grigson and Kensil got what they wanted, partly. I’m sure that the whole purpose of this “sting” operation and the resulting controversy was to distract the Patriots leading up to the SB, and thus prevent them from winning a fourth ring.
Well, the first part of the plan worked, but unfortunately for them the Pats won.
Seriously, why Kensil hasn’t been fired yet is the more important question.
All that’s left to be done is lifting up the carpet that they’ll be sweeping the whole thing under.
quinzze says: Mar 23, 2015 10:03 AM
So if grigston called kensel before the game why didn’t kensel tell the Pats to knock it off before the game started ? I meen if it such a big deal why would the NFL allow the first half of the AFC championship game be compromised ? Even if the Pats did do it the Fact that the NFL LET IT HAPPEN is so much worse than any thing the Pats allegedly did.
—————————————————–
Bingo! Kensil allowed the AFC Championship to be played, in part, with allegedly out-of-spec balls, just so that he could have a “gotcha” on the Patriots?
Huh? “Integrity of the game”? Why does Kensil still have a job?
This feels like a Colts/ex-Jets attempted frame job.
This is going to end with a whimper not a bang… I feel like Wells is going to publish a science and atmospheric thesis and no wrong doing will be proven …
and everyone who trashed the Patriots the week leading to super bowl will run and hide… the media will not drag them back in front of the camera for any mea culpa’s…
…
the Patriots hating universe will cry cover-up
…
Everyone else will demand apologies
….
end of story
qbarrel says:
Mar 23, 2015 9:41 AM
If the investigation revealed info damaging to the Pats, then it would have already been concluded.
If the investigation revealed info damaging to the league, then it will continue to drag on, waiting for the appropriate time when it can be quickly buried in the media.
———–
As much as I would like to believe that, I think because Kraft called out the league, the NFL have to be very, very sure if they are going to punish the Patriots for this. The Patriots have made it pretty clear they aren’t willing to accept even a slap on the wrist for this as they believe they did nothing wrong. Any penalty will be very damaging to the Patriots’ brand, so if the league is going to impose one they have to be sure they aren’t exposed legally. The Patriots aren’t out of the woods yet, but I hope you are right.
So Roger doen’t know anything about:
1) The Ray Rice video tape.
2) The report to the league office about the alleged deflated footballs before the AFC campionship.
3) The alleged deflated footballs during the AFC championship game.
4) The status of the Wells investigation.
5) Multiple leaks from multiple sources inside the NFL to media outlets even though Rober forbid it.
In contrast though, league employees suposedly knew about the Ray Rice tape but didn’t tell Roger.
League employees knew about the supposed deflation of balls before the AFC championship game and didn’t tell Roger or do anything about the issue themselves.
League officials have a different story from Indianapolis officials about who knew what when. But no one told Roger.
The refs were apparently not let in on the supposed problem so didn’t take any steps to remedy the situation if it existed and no one told Roger.
Wells has been conducting this investigation for weeks and no one has told Roger about the progress.
This situation defies belief but if true sounds like textbook ineptitude, corruption and poor managemant across the board for the NFL itself.
We all know that Goodell is going to exonerate the Patriots****, he is just waiting Kraft’s check.
… not sure which topic I enjoy less. Whether it be deflategate or Tebow… well at least we don’t have Brett Farve drama.
“I haven’t spoken to [Wells] for several weeks,” Goodell said. “I think he’s getting near the end, but there’s no requirement when.”
This is a joke. This is a billion dollar operation with people who want clarity and integrity being paying customers. This is the corporate and political way though. What a shame. Not saying the Patriots or Colts did this or that, but I think people in charge of big things should be a bit more on top of things.
Patriots are proven to be cheaters. It’s obvious & undeniable.
Remember when the haters said Brady would never win another super bowl?
The haters keep asking for a do-over. They are just like the whiny kid from our youth that always lost, said “you cheated”, and wanted a do-over. So, you played him again and beat him again. It is an endless cycle.
The inevitable “taint” is coming… ***
“I can tell you that I was not personally aware of it until after the game.”…..
*****************
And there it is folks. The beginning of the end for Mike Kensil.
Kensil should look out for oncoming buses. Goodell might be about to throw him under one of them.
The League Office is supposed to be impartial. They would never in a million years allow a 29-year Jets executive be a referee in a Patriots game, so why allow having a 29 year Jets executive oversee the entire league operations and conduct his sham “investigation” of something that didn’t happen?
In others news, Bill Belichick had to be inconvenienced and is in the process of changing his boat’s name to 6 rings.
He used extremely high quality paint so that the sea of tears he sails on from the anonymous “men” crying on the Internet does not wash away the paint.
He bought an extra can of paint for next year too.
Bow down and keep crying you little girls.
bstngrdn makes a GREAT point – how come Goodell seemingly NEVER gets a call or knows anything about major incidences in the league that he oversees? How incredible is that?
Unbelievable–literally.
Goodell gave credence to the Kensil/Grigson (Irsay?) theory. He said that who said what to whom and when they said it is part of the investigation.
May I recommend the crow for Goodell and Grigsby to eat at the owners meeting dinner
The worst part of all of this is gonna be when Wells releases his report exonerating the Patriots and proving that there was nothing underhanded done with those footballs and so many ignorant people will ignore that and still call the Patriots cheaters. Enjoy your bitter tears while we continue to revel in our Super Bowl win. Feels good to be back on the throne
The Colts franchise is a joke. Getting the rules changed to make it easier for Manning to accumulate stats, fake crowd noise, tanking to get Luck, an owner with unchecked and unrepentant drug use and purchase, and now framing another team for a rules violation by taking air out of the only ball they touched all game. What a clownish franchise from top to bottom.
If Kensil still has a job after this, then something is wrong.
Who knew about the sting operation other than Kensil? Did he alert anyone? Harbaugh’s statement in the immediate aftermath of the much inaccurate Mortensen tweet indicated he knows about footballs losing air pressure when brought out to cooler, rainy weather. Harbaugh to Pagano to Grigson to Kensil is my guess. They KNEW they could catch the Pats with under inflated balls because they knew the science of it. The media clowns who destroyed the Pats, not so much.
I think the Colts and Ravens should be billed for the cost.
John Banner would be so proud of his love child, Roger.
when a player intercepts a football during a championship game, you’d think that that player wants to keep that ball for his “trophy room”, so to speak, and it would immediately be placed in a safe location.
What the heck was the ball boy doing fiddling around with this football?
He hasn’t spoken to Wells “in several weeks”?
Really?
I guess we know how important this is to ole Rog.
The only “Tenure” I’d like to see is Rodger’s would end. The owners love this dude and the fans hate him. My guess the owner’s will get tired of all the crap happening on his watch. The owners will just buy another one when they get pissed off enough.
“When he completes his investigation, we will destroy the evidence, and you can take our word for it”
You asterisk clowns are delusuonal. If you believe the Patriots should have asterisks affixed to their early championships then you must be OK with the government reducing the speed limit on your street today and then handing you a speeding ticket because you went over the new speed limit last month.
I do not know what all the facts are in the deflation scandal but based on what I have seen, the Colts and the guy in the league office should be the ones worrying, not the Patriots.
Pats fans continually make the case that everyone is against them. “They hate us because we win”. There have been other teams that “won” but we’re not hated. the 60’s Packers, 70’s Steelers, Raiders, and Cowboys, 80’s Niners, 90’s Niners and Cowboys come to mind. Ok, lots of people hate the Cowboys, primarily due to the audacity of the “Americas Team” tag. Even then, they are still the most valued franchise in the NFL even though they have won 2 playoff games in 17 years. All of these teams have large national fan bases from work done decades ago. I don’t think the Pats will ever see this prolonged loyalty once they go on a skid and it may happen sooner than you think. Why? Because there was always something fishy going on. Lester Hayes may have been covered with stickem but it’s not something he tried to hide in a 8 x8 bathroom. Video cameras, murder trials, the continous list of hired gun divas from Blount to 85.
I understand Patriot fans defending their franchise but don’t quite get the folks putting so much energy into spinning one of the most transparent and by the book NFL teams into some sort of cheating institution. Do you think your spin will actually change anything that has happened? Have you ever researched any of these ‘events’ on your own, or gone by hearsay? Are you delusional or dishonest?
That first game of the season will be played under the guise of a deflategate “taint”.
Life IS fair sometimes. ***
The only reason those other teams aren’t in the same boat as the Patriots is in today’s “everyone has an opinion and an immediate forum” society. The verbal piling-on-without-merit ridiculousness, misreporting by unqualified “journalists”, etc. has helped to conspire against them. Those other dynasties would have been trashed by the losing masses just as inappropriately and soundly if these “instant information” forums existed then.
Fans with an agenda throw rocks because they see someone else doing it, and so on. It’s lazy–as great as electronic advantages have been to us, this is one of the unfortunate side effects.
There’s nothing to see here. The Patriots have committed no wrong doing. They’re fully exonerated and we fully apologize for any negative light this has cast on Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, that ball boy, and the rest of the New England Patriots organization. -Baghdad Bob
New England Patriots, four time World Champions****
****May your jealousy drive you mad.
11 of 12 = NATURE/SCIENCE/PHYSICS
1 of 12 (2psi under) = Kinsel & Colts r GUILTY
$1,000 an hour = Ted Well$
Rodger Goodell = Bungling Commish, Jets lover, Scammer getting paid $44 mil a year.
NE PATRIOTS = Hated by most because they beat your team every year AND won 4 Super Bowls with same Coach QB in a little over ten years.
“Will Pats ever win a SB that requires no *****?”
They already have, 4 of them. Only whiney fans of loser teams thing otherwise. Or I should say whiney fans of teams that Pats have been pounding for years.
“Good. Throw the book at them. Enjoy losing your first round picks for the next three years!”
According to the “book”, i.e. the NFL rules, the penalty for tampering with a ball is a $25,000 fine. No draft picks, no suspensions, that’s how tiny an infraction its considered to be.
However since the Pats are innocent and the Colts are the ones that deflated the ball to set the Pats up, I wonder what the penalty for framing another team is ?
Frame gate by jealous former employees of the Jets, whiney jealous Harbaugh and his toady Pagano.
Guys, compensatory picks for the players lost in free agency that will be awarded in this year’s draft are from last year (e.g., Talib) not this year (e.g., Revis, Vareen, Browner).
As for the Colts and Grigson, don’t expect any real punitive action against them. Yes, what they did and how they did it was a black mark on the NFL but (1) they did in concert with guys from the NFL office in New York, (2) the NFL wants parity and needs a team in the AFC to challenge the Patriots, and (3) they want want Luck be on a winning franchise to showcase him as the face of the NFL along with Rogers as Manning and Brady age.
the NFL IS MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE, AND THE MOLE IS COLTS GM.
It doesn’t involve making the owners richer, so he hasn’t been paying attention.
That is a shame.
@goingthextramile
Better go a little farther if you’re using Brunell as your source.
Brunell made over 75 million in the NFL during his playing days and is now in Chapter 11, and over 7 million dollars in debt!
But, good source to use!
Personally, I don’t think anything happens to anyone.
sumkat says:
Mar 23, 2015 11:32 AM
“When he completes his investigation, we will destroy the evidence, and you can take our word for it”
========================================
Mike Kensil already destroyed the real material evidence when he had the balls reinflated after the officials inspection. They had 22 other ball available, but Kensil decided that the underinflated balls should be reniflated. Goodbye evidence and I highly doubt Kensil would ever do the Patriots any favors.
Geez Pats fans….Go grab a shovel….You are whining more than anyone…
If I were that lumbering oaf Ryan Grigson, I’d be absolutely certain I dotted my I’s and crossed my T’s with everything I did going forward. I suspect Bob Kraft will have a bitter taste and a long memory RE: someone deliberately trying to smear his billion dollar enterprise.
ReligionIsForIdiots says:
Mar 23, 2015 9:14 AM
Good. Throw the book at them. Enjoy losing your first round picks for the next three years!
I don’t think the Colts will lose their 1st round picks for the next three years for working with Kensil in an effort to frame the Pats, I think the Colts will just lose their 1st and 2nd round picks for the next two seasons for trying to frame the Pats.
At this point if the Pats ever win a SB without cheating, the public will only think they we able to do it without getting caught.
Sad time for all those others who put so much work and sweat using legal footballs.
I hope Stephen Jones can teach the business and marketing majors some introductory physics.
Too bad this investigation won’t reveal the name of every “source” of “information” that has been released as fact
twopaw513 says: Mar 23, 2015 9:40 AM
Patriot haters have already found them guilty of everything including the Kennedy assassination.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
well that’s just silly. everyone knows the league did it!
The only thing that we can be sure about at this point is that Mike Kensil should be FIRED IMMEDIATELY. Regardless of whether the investigation shows that any team or team personel tampered with inflation of the footballs, we do know Kensil was informed about this ahead of time. He chose to put his personal feelings against a team ahead of the integrity of the league, causing one of the most embarrassing, damaging situations this league has ever had to face. What will be even worse is if there are absolutely no violations found, this whole episode will have been completely unecessary. Either way, for not cutting this off before the game, this man deserves to lose his job.
@tigerlilac
” Don’t expect any significant penalty for the Colts ”
I disagree. The story led all three network news broadcasts one night. Secondly, there is a lot of physical evidence (emails, texts, phone logs etc) . Thirdly, the league office was involved in affecting the outcome of a game. Many, including our fine citizens of Las Vegas, are not okay with that.
The NFL may have allowed Grigson to stay through the lead up to the draft, as to not penalize the Colts in that manner.
.
So, what happens when the Jets were found to be tampering with Revis (there is NO denying that) and the Pats are found to be the subject of a witch hunt from the league for something they didn’t do? You know, since the Colts deflated the only ball that was drastically smaller.
Do they then get to switch first round picks with the Jets and gain the Colts first round pick for framing them?
Three first round picks. Imagine what that kind of ammo would do for the Pats with their leadership. It would be easy to restock after the losses of Wilfork, Revis and Browner.
Either way, I am sure the Ravens will have something to complain about.
Well pump it up and get on with it.
The sith lord has no need for draft picks he merely mind controls players to jump ship mid season.
“Do they then get to switch first round picks with the Jets and gain the Colts first round pick for framing them?”
Believe the highest round pick that was ever exchanged for tampering was maybe a 3, with a also taken from tampering team but not given to the victim.
Look up Lance Briggs tampering in a search engine and that should give you a better idea.
Now the Colts framing the Pats, that should be something significant.
If you admit to taping teams to gain knowledge of their signals and the plays that they are going to run, then the league punishes you and your coach; you’re a cheat and your SBs are definitely tainted.
The team and the league acknowledged it. Fans, you should own it.
Dolphin fans you aren’t even considered a team in my point of view.
“I understand Patriot fans defending their franchise but don’t quite get the folks putting so much energy into spinning one of the most transparent and by the book NFL teams into some sort of cheating institution.”
The Colts you mean ? Who piped in recorded crowd noise for years until their cd finally skipped on national prime time TV ?
The Colts who whined for years to get various rules changed to allow Manning and his receivers a much easier job of things ?
The Colts, whose owner is a drug addict, drunken idiot who has whined endlessly about the Pats ?
By the book, yeah right.
Rog is ready. His new broom has been purchased.
Yup. It’s almost completely swept under the rug.
jtbsteeler,
You have a point, however, they only broke the rules in ONE game. It was not against the rules when the Pats did it. They also did not break this rule during a Super Bowl, so how are their Super Bowls tainted?
Let’s take a deep breath and analyze the facts here.
1) The league requires game balls to be inflated to 12.5-13.5 PSI.
2) Upon submitting game balls for inspection by referees, the Patriots ask the refs to set them at 12.5 PSI.
3) A number of Patriots game balls (11 of 12, according to most reports) were found to be underinflated when checked at halftime.
4) Those underinflated footballs were mostly about 1 PSI below (Mortensen is on his own in claiming they were all 2PSI below, multiple reports refuted that to varying degrees, with most settling on an avg. of 1 PSI below).
5) Environmental factors account for about a 0.5 PSI drop in air pressure due to temperature changes.
So what does this mean? It means we’re debating whether someone went through the time, effort, and deviance to effect a miniscule 0.5 change in game ball PSI.
If someone can explain why an NFL team would construct a plan to deviously reduce the air pressure by a whole 0.5 PSI in game balls, I’d love to hear it.
And no, “it’s the Patriots, they just cheat” doesn’t count. Even if you think they did it there has to be a reason.
Wait a minute, did Roger say FAIR and TRANSPARENT? Thanks Roger. I really needed a good laugh.
Any outrage with the Panthers or Vikings for putting footballs in front or propane heaters to make it easier to grip ? Anyone? No? Anyone? Didn’t think so … Gotta love all the Hippocrates and there phony outrage.
Let me clarify: When the Pats were recording the games, it wasn’t against the rules. They only were penalized for taping signals in one game, against the Jets in 2007. That is when the rule was passed.
kensil was not the official who weighed the footballs, it was Sam Vincent.
Also, Kensil was fired by the Jets after 27 years,
(6 years after BB left). Its the Jets he doesn’t like.
Tom Curran is way off on this one, but why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
What kind of a crew is investigating this? I can’t believe this is not resolved yet. I wonder if anyone has talked to Brady yet.
Translation: We’ve stalled long enough and are just about ready to sweep this one under the rug for good.
I expect the Wells report to suggest a Standard Operating Procedure for the measurement of football inflation pressure. This will have to include a room temperature range at which the footballs will be filled and tested for compliance.
Since the target pressure range is so narrow, 13.0 PSI plus or minus .5 PSI, the Wells report will have to specify the brand and model of the pressure gauges used as well as a strict calibration schedule to eliminate accuracy variations from gauge to gauge.
All this of course because, you know, football pressure is of such extreme importance.
tbisgod says:
Mar 23, 2015 2:04 PM
kensil was not the official who weighed the footballs, it was Sam Vincent….
It was Mike Kensil who weighed the footballs at halftime. That is a fact.
Troy Vincent is an NFL executive, Sam Vincent is not an NFL executive. And Troy Vincent was not involved in weighing the footballs, that was all Kensil.
Troy Vincent did point out that Ryan Grigson contacted the NFL before the AFC championship game.
Please change your login name to reflect the team you really favor (luckisgod is still available).
Kraft should be getting his apology any time now…
Interesting how the former Patriot in the league office felt this would be wrapped up within a few days of the incident, yet the former NY Jet who is currently in charge began stalling for time once the name of another ex NY Jet and current league official started popping up in media circles.
Sure it is….. I won’t old my breath in waiting for which locker room boy/old-time security guard that they make the scapegoat.
“If you admit to taping teams to gain knowledge of their signals and the plays that they are going to run, then the league punishes you and your coach; you’re a cheat and your SBs are definitely tainted.”
You want to explain how a rule enacted in the 2006 off season and was broken by the Pats in 1 game only, the first game of the 2007 season, taints games played prior to 2007 ?
Guess what, it doesn’t. And while not all teams were taping other team’s signals, they all were certainly keeping track of them. And yes, it is a little easier to collate the info off video than if its charted on a piece of paper, but stealing signals has been around since the game began and is not illegal by the NFL rules to this day. Which is why coordinators and head coaches hold play cards over their mouths when they are calling in plays.
Whywerule- I apologize, I meant to sat Troy Vincent. I know Curran said it was Kensil, so that’s who Boston turned all their anger on.
The facts are:
Vincent was also at the game, and is Kensil’s boss.
Vincent weighed the balls as the highest ranking official at the game. Nfl security was also in attendance. (as was Kensil)
Yes, i’m a huge NE fan, just telling you its Vincent who was in charge. I guess its not as good a conspiracy. Hate who you want.
Report coming soon.
goingthextramile says:
Mar 23, 2015 9:43 AM
The Patriots (Tom Brady) got caught trying to gain a competitive advantage, again, and considering their history they need to be punished accordingly. Taking draft picks isn’t enough. Tom Brady needs to be suspended for the first quarter (4 games) of the season. Like Mark Brunell said, Brady knew those footballs were deflated. Tom isn’t going to smile his way out of this one.
/////////////////////////////////////////////
The only thing Brunell KNOWS is he’s broke and a has been.
For a guy that bad mouth’s the NFL the “MMQB.com” dude sure get’s a lot of time from God-dell.
Still can’t believe they let a team who was manipulating the most important piece of equipment in the game, play in the Super Bowl* without any penalty.
Spygate goodell took 4 days and destroyed the evidence against the pats, now it takes 2 months to see if deflated footballs are legit with a lawyer. Another cover up for the patriots fraud.
I hope pats fans know that only pats fans think their dynasty is legit. No one else is buying it.
The nfl is a disgrace as are the nfl champs. Go figure
Goodel is a LIAR and should be thrown out immediately for his willful ignorance and cover-up of Kinsel, Grigson & the Colts in their failed attempt of framing the NE Patriots.
jaysmack is smoking the pipe again
Reading how the Pats winning the superbowl (AGAIN) bothers you hates so much, brings much more joy than winning the superbowl without the hate. Seeing how the Pats occupy space in your heads, and don’t even pay rent, is like winning the superbowl all over again.
Keep it up.
Its OK. In New England we’ve been surviving witch hunts for hundreds of years.
This fraud of a “controversy” will only result in compensation to the Patriots. Love it.
Kinsel will be looking for a new job soon.
Ever notice how the Pats haters just toss out troller one-liners without a shred of rationalization, and the people who formulate cohesive thoughts tend to point out how the Pats could not be in any way responsible for deliberating deflating game balls to favor their offense?
I’m a Pats fan but I would really appreciate it if someone who thinks they cheated to provide any explanation why the Pats would deflate one football 2psi less than their other game balls. Short of that, the best argument you’ve had is to insert the word “cheat” in the head coach’s last name. Not very compelling.
I’m a Pats fan but I would really appreciate it if someone who thinks they cheated to provide any explanation why the Pats would deflate one football 2psi less than their other game balls. Short of that, the best argument you’ve had is to insert the word “cheat” in the head coach’s last name. Not very compelling.
—————–
Good luck with that. You’re asking Pats haters to actually provide facts to back up their moronic name calling? You’d have better luck asking a chimp to explain quantum physics.
Ever notice how Pat’s fans blindly follow their team,when they have been proven cheaters ?
Let’s see, recording the opponents practice prior to the super bowl, exploiting camera use rules to the point where the NFL had to change the language of the written rule, continuing unethical practices with cameras and being punished for it, accusations of scrambling opponents head sets during home games, accusations of extending the allot time on use of their own head sets, manipulating a loophole in the rules on use of eligible/ ineligible receivers, lobbying for a rule change to allow each team to provide their own game balls, once in effect began “preparing” game balls to dramatically reduce the chance of fumbling/ grip, and being caught using underinflated in the AFC championship games.
That is why people call them cheaters. Before you start demanding facts and evidence, remember that none exists to disprove any of this.
The Big Picure
1.) Goodell, Kinsel, Grigson & the others are in too deep, as the actual evidence points to them.
2.) Even though there is zero evidence against the PATRIOTS, expect fines for underinflated footballs, with the excuses “The Patriots should of known better” and “using the weather as a loop hole to play at the edge of rules.”
3.) The entire NFL league is rabid with jealousy of the PATRIOTS and desperately wants their Dynasty to end – Now!!!
4.) Evil Office in washDC desperately needs the PATRIOT image of FREEDOM & AMERICAN REVOLUTION against dictatorships (Blamamad & Goodell) to go away – Now!!! Absolutely cannot have “We the People” celebrating their REVOLUTION against authoritarian governmental control of the people.
5.) The disdain for Kraft & his family tree is at an all time high in US history under the Evil Office administration. They abhor the TRUE PATRIOT image of our FREEDOM along with Kraft’s family tree.
rcali says:
Mar 23, 2015 4:52 PM
Still can’t believe they let a team who was manipulating the most important piece of equipment in the game, play in the Super Bowl* without any penalty.
———————–
So then why do you believe a team was manipulating the most important piece of equipment?
whitetrash69 says:
Mar 23, 2015 7:13 PM
Let’s see, (blah, blah, blah). …. Before you start demanding facts and evidence, remember that none exists to disprove any of this.
———–
I like the last part and I agree – no evidence in any of these claims (trashy or otherwise) at all.
Nothing short of giving the Patriots the first round pick of the Jets, and the first and second round picks of the Colts, will be satisfactory outcomes in these two crimes committed against New England and the league in general.
Any reasonable and unbiased person can look at the circumstances surrounding the Patriots and conclude that they aren’t on the up-and-up. Seriously, it shouldn’t have to be spelled out for you why the Patriots are labeled as cheaters. Here’s a hint, nobody in their right mind would be jealous over being the biggest disgrace in the league.
Fozzie gruler you’re a disgrace whatever loser
Whitetrash69…. You said it yourself… “Nobody in their right mind” Case closed as you & many commenting on here are defiantly NOT in their right mind…. Your jealousy clouds your ability to have that luxury!!!
Why would the Colts wait until days before the AFC championship to complain about Patriot foitball’s psi. Doesn’t make sense. They should have done it week 11 after they got steam rolled by NE. After all they were fighting for the #1 seed too back then. Let the league hurt the Pats, Colts know they can’t. I think this all started in the Baltimore “Harbough”
Goodell is a liar. Should be fired immediately, if not sooner.
11 of the 12 footballs were illegal. And no, being in 40 degree temperatures for 90 minutes will not drop the psi anything significant. That’s ridiculous…somebody let some air out…or switched footballs.
Now that most of the smoke has cleared, we find ourselves right back to where Deflate-Gate originated.
The Colts being caught RED HANDED with the ONLY football that was 2psi under league rule.
The Colts handling the suspect football for at least twenty minutes before it was turned in.
The Colts complaining to Goodell since November 16, 2014 about the Patriots cheating AGAIN!
The Colts losing to the Patriots in the playoffs for the last three years in a row.
There is a LOGICAL explanation in here somewhere – I just know it !!!!!
LOL
All this of course because, you know, football pressure is of such extreme importance.
===
I’m sure Wells won’t have a suggestions on how his firm could assist with such measures…
Several posters on this site have made reference to officials “weighing” footballs.
I find this very hard to believe.
I can understand officials measuring the inflation pressure of the footballs using a pressure gauge, but I seriously doubt the nfl uses any sort of weight scale accurate enough to discern the weight of the air responsible for a .5 psi difference in air pressure.
Where did the use of the term weighing the footballs originate? What article or link can you provide?
The only way to measure the PSI of the football and still keep the same air pressure is to weigh them. Pretty easy stuff.
If officials didn’t test and verify ALL balls used before AND after the game, there is nothing they can say or do, and certainly nothing they can prove. Ball handling protocol is absurdly lax. May I see the certified, validated, before and after ball pressure logs signed by an official for all 7,680 balls used in the 256 games this season please?
Oh? You are an ex-Jets staffer with a grudge, only investigating the PATRIOTS balls during ONE game? I see.