Why did the Patriots deflate their balls?

At its core, Deflategate suggested that the New England Patriots used an illegal process for lowering the inflation of game footballs at the behest of quarterback Tom Brady, who preferred the grip of softer balls.

What game did the Patriots deflate footballs?

Deflategate was an NFL controversy involving the allegation that New England Patriots QB Tom Brady ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs used in the Patriots’ victory against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship Game.

How many footballs were deflated in the Patriots game?

11
That’s quite the contrast from the way the NFL handled leaks during its Deflategate investigation. Three days after the AFC Championship, which is when the Colts accused the Patriots of using under-inflated balls, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen falsely reported 11 of 12 Patriots footballs were deflated by two pounds of air.

Was Tom Brady fined for deflating the ball?

NEW YORK — The NFL has suspended Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady without pay for the first four games of the season, fined the New England Patriots $1 million and taken away two draft picks as punishment for deflating footballs used in the AFC title game, the league said in a statement Monday.

Did the NFL lie about Deflategate?

In the aftermath of that game, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that 11 of the 12 football used by the Patriots’ offense during that game were underinflated by at least two pounds each. That information was ultimately proven to be false and a correction was eventually made in the initial report.

Were the Colts balls deflated also?

Given two measurements, the referees chose the one that indicated that the footballs were properly inflated. They didn’t adjust the pressure, remove those footballs from play, or even re-measure them. They simply took the measurement that indicated the pressure was good and moved on.

Why was Deflategate real?

In January 2015, Deflategate exploded from a quiet league investigation into a nationwide story thanks to an erroneous ESPN report claiming 11 of the 12 footballs the Patriots used in the AFC Championship Game were underinflated by at least two pounds.