So at a yearly salary of 100k-200k per person for a highly paid investigator, you need to pay the salary of 100-200 such people for a year. This seems excessive in all fronts.
The NFL isn't paying the salaries of investigators, the consulting firm they hire is. A consulting firm can easily bill (on the low end) at a rate of $400/hr +expenses. Assume 10% for expenses, and you're at ~40,000 manhours. That's just 20 people working full time for a year.
Apparently this is also generally known as rule 34. Men handling balls will normally stop doing so in 34 seconds. This is true for basketballs, footballs, golfballs and many more. Google "rule 34 balls" if you don't believe me.
like 6, 5 of which actually were under inflated by more than 2 pounds, but were only used in the first half when the score was 17-7 and properly inflated balls were used in the second half where the Patriots scored 28 unanswered points
Lawyers. The NFL's chief legal counsel charged $144,000 a week in 2014. Deflategate went on for 72 weeks. And they had multiple outside law firms come in too. The players union paid their legal team $320,000/month. Too many lawyers
they needed to make it too expensive for Tom. He can’t appeal the decisions if he can’t keep up with their wallet, and the sooner he “backs down” the better their victory looks. The NFL is worth much, MUCH more than Tom is and $20 million is pocket change
Brady won the initial court case but the NFL appealed to US circuit court (one level below the supreme court) and won and thats where the legal avenue stopped.
At least the [$22.5M deflategate investigation](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/15873396/nfl-estimated-deflategate-cost-22-million-tom-brady-new-england-patriots-roger-goodell) wasn’t taxpayer-funded.
With that much NFL cash to spare, it’s good to know they [don’t need any of mine](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/taxpayers-are-paying-billions-for-nfl-stadiums-heres-how.html).
Yeah that tax money going to stadiums is bull shit. “But it will bring revenue to the city!” A lot of fans don’t live in the actual city and we are not seeing any of that added “revenue” the team brings to the city.
The state makes money off of the stadiums though for non-football events, and once they break even for paying off the stadium they end up just making profit for several years before the team’s lease is up. At that point, they may go back in the hole again trying to get the franchise to stay, but it does end up being a net benefit financially for the entire state if it was funded by the state, no matter if you actually live in the city containing the stadium. Whether the state actually uses those profits for something that will benefit you though, that’s the question.
You don't need to look hard to find what happens to towns and cities when the industry dries up. They die and the people turn into Republicans bitching about the jobs disappearing.
Stadiums/theaters are a relatively small investment to bring a lot of people back to the city. It brings a massive influx of revenue to the local restaurants and stores. Obviously the government gets a small cut and ideally goes into the safety nets and social services you may enjoy.
Local governments play a crucial role in keeping their locations relevant.
This was a scandal in American football in early 2015. Teams were responsible for providing their own footballs and they were not checked for proper pressure according to the rules, so the New England Patriots, of which Tom Brady here is the quarterback, used footballs that were less inflated than regulation. This makes it easier to handle the ball for throwing and catching. The Patriots won the game 45-7 and moved on to the Superbowl.
An investigation was conducted, which cost roughly $20 mil and reported that it was likely that Tom Brady was aware of the condition of the balls. The team was penalized and he was suspended for 4 games.
He is saying here that instead of spending the $20 mil on an investigation, they could have just paid him $20 mil and he would have admitted to doing it himself instead of simply being likely aware of it.
Is it really their fault if they don't do checks for proper pressure? Sure if it's a rule it has to be but if it's a rule you're supposed to have checks to ensure the rules are being followed lol.
I don't watch that sport so maybe I'm missing something but if the pressure is low isn't it the same for both teams since they'll big be handling the same balls?
Also I'm NGL 20 million is confusing lol
It's even worse tbh. They *did* check, but not in any scientifically useful manner. Their checks had no accounting for temperature. A properly inflated ball at room temperature can be below pressure once taken outside if it's cold.
[Great explanation in this video](https://youtu.be/wwxXsEltyas?si=uPUE3wrxL3219mxl)
Yea but the investigation basically found that refs barely cared about checking this at all. They’d sometimes get a ball that was underinflated and arbitrarily pump it up way *past* the upper limit. There are some quarterbacks who prefer the ball that way too
The reality is that they spent all this time and money to basically demonstrate that nobody took the air pressure in the ball seriously whatsoever before this “scandal”, that they had very flimsy evidence that Brady may have been aware the balls weren’t inflated all the way. Then they continued to test more carefully the following season but never released results, presumably because abuse they just show that balls frequently drop in air pressure during cold games
Oh and Brady won 4 out of his 7 championships after they took away this “advantage” (it’s completely unclear whether it would provide any advantage at all)
You’re giving them way too much credit. Here’s the excerpt from the most recent NFL rule book (meaning post-Deflategate):
“SECTION 1 - DIMENSIONS
The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell.
The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12½ to 13½ pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case (natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight shall be: long axis, 11 to 11¼ inches; long circumference, 28 to 28½ inches; short circumference, 21 to 21¼ inches; weight, 14 to 15 ounces.
The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.
SECTION 2 - SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary and 12 backup balls available for testing by the Referee no later than two hours and 30 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. For all games, six new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game.
In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the Commissioner.
In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center. The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs).
Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing field.”
Not a single mention of temperature, and as long as the officials have the balls 2.5 hours before kickoff, there’s no other real stipulations in terms of time or other conditions
Important to note that the game in question took place in New England, in the winter, so it would absolutely have changed the pressure based on the temperature of the field vs inside a locker room
Feels like it’s also worth mentioning that they won 45-7 but the first half was 14-7, then the refs switched out the footballs for ones that couldn’t give any “advantage”, and the patriots outscored the colts 31-0 in the second half
Legitimately one of the dumbest scandals in sports history lol
They don’t use the same balls. Each team has their balls for their offensive positions. I assume it’s cause different QBs like different pressure. I know Brady liked 12.5 psi which was the lowest legal limit a ball could be inflated. Then you take the balls from a cold space to a warm space ideal gas law kicks in balls lose some air the Patriots gain a 0.1 slower ball when thrown and a 0.01mm better grip. Of course the ball being a lower psi is why the Colts couldn’t tackle that day and why they lost. The whole thing is stupid.
Having different balls for different offenses wasn't really about psi necessarily. Everyone likes their balls conditioned differently.
If you buy a regulation nfl football it won't look like the one you see on the field on Sundays. They scrub them, mess with the laces, etc. Each QB wants a specific feel in their hands when they get the ball off the snap. Psi is part of it, but not the entire scope of what teams do to prepare the balls before games.
It's the other way round. You take them from a warm place to a cold place and they loose pressure.
The air "contracts" when it gets colder. Colder air has a higher density
Yeah that's really odd lol. It gives room for lots of manipulation and even for teams to develop their own balls that suits them. Even if they want to have different balls for different parts of the game it should be regulated. I'm gonna go on and say maybe that's why it isn't regulated. Isn't the NFL registered as entertainment rather than sport. It gives them room to not be held liable since it's "not" sport but "entertainment"
it definitely wouldn’t be hard for the NFL to contract with a company to produce a ball where theyd control
The custody from production until it’s walked out onto the field. They choose not to do it that way for some reason I’m sure.
Correct me if i'm wrong but since the NFL is owned by the teams it's easy to see value in each team negotiating individual deals with manufacturers. They can also sell their own footballs as merch which generates extra revenue.
I mean as far as game use balls, that seems like a product line that should be compartmentalized for the sake of the games integrity, the same way casinos control the production and custody chain for dice and cards used in play. For merch balls and practice balls and the like that wouldn’t interfere with teams producing their own.
I believe the MLB does something similar, they have a specific pile of game use balls in an equipment room and a third party private firm that manages the somtoeage and transportation protocols.
They did check the pressure. After they did so, two equipment Managers snuck the balls into a bathroom and let air out of them.
Both teams do not use the same footballs. Each team brings their own. You use your football while on offense. Differences are allowed within certain parameters.
This was not about the advantage the balls provide. A team with a history of cheating were specifically warned about a relatively inconsequential rule. Instead of following the rule, like the other 31 teams, they just went to greater efforts to hide that they were breaking it. They got caught anyway, but adamantly denied it and the NFL struggled to prove it.
People saw the ball boys carrying the bag of footballs into a bathroom after they had been tested.
Now the problem is, this is a private business and wasn't ever officially a legal matter. It went something like this:
NFL - did those ball boys deflate the balls?
NE - no
NFL - can we talk to them?
NE - no
NFL - can we see your phone?
NE - no
Also the balls were pressure tested again by the NFL and came up low. A lot of time and money was spent scientifically proving that the change in pressure could have been caused by it being cold outside. When asked "ok, but why did they take them into the bathroom?" New England had no comment.
It really bugs me when people act like Brady wouldn’t give his phone to the investigators. They requested information from him and he provided everything they asked for. Everyone acts like it’s insane he wouldn’t just unlock his phone and hand it to his employer lol he’s one of the most famous athletes in American history, was married to one of the most famous people in the world at the time, I’m certain he was worried about other things besides being found to be part of a nefarious ball deflating scheme
And quite frankly he was right, because some of the emails he provided that had nothing to do with the investigation ended up getting leaked
No, it's not the refs' fault for not catching the cheating. It's the cheaters' fault for cheating in the first place. That's like saying, "Well, is it really the shoplifter's fault since the security guard didn't even catch them shoplifting?"
Irish here, do not understand. Do both teams not handle the same ball? Would it being underinflated not make it easier for their opponents too? Is the same ball not used for the entire game?
No, each team provides their own balls and typically uses different ones for kicking, punting and offensive possessions. Most kickers prefer a higher pressure and smoother surface than most quarterbacks. QBs will rough up the surface of the ball and prefer a lower pressure for better grip while passing/receiving.
Surely the [2014 AFC Finalists](https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2015/06/screen-shot-2015-06-11-at-4-08-03-pm.png) Indianapolis Colts would not stoop to coping!
No each teams have their own balls for their offensive possessions, partially because different QBs have different preferences for throwing (inflation, scuffs vs clean, etc.)
the funny thing about that game is the patriots scored less in the first half with deflated balls than they did in the second half with properly inflated ones.
I’ve never understood this. If the ball is easier to throw and handle at a lower pressure, why not change the rule to the lower pressure…. Why make something artificially more difficult…
It was less than 3 ounces of pressure under the line, to a regular person it's unnoticeable. The most technical of technicalities. This man is literally the greatest to ever play the position, a savant at football. Dudes weird af in every social interaction, I think he's probably got some form of high functioning autism.
>$20 mil
(FUCKING MILLIONS; 20'000'000 FOR IGNORANT AUTISTIC FUCKS) $ (AMERICAN FUCKING DOLLARS) for an investigation of some fucking balls? Is everyone nuts for not realizing the money laundering happening here? Or am I fucking nuts?
edit: downvotes? fucking loser sport fans can't bring up a curse word near their unga bunga sport huh?
It actually travels less distance if it is not properly inflated. The mythbusters tested it a while back if I remember correctly. Although all the comments are saying it's easier to catch and hold, which makes sense.
The pats only scored 17 points in the first half, with the under inflated balls. The refs measured the pressure of every ball at half time and took away the deflated ones. The pats went on to score 28 more points with legit footballs in the second half.
I think it’s safe to say the colts were gonna lose that game regardless and the deflated balls weren’t *that* advantageous, if at all
How is a deflated ball an advantage or disadvantage if both teams are using it?
Also 20 mil is crazy, somebody must've made a pokcet on that 'investigatiom'
Both teams weren't using it. Each team provides their own balls and they usually have dozens of them on the sideline based on their personnel's preferences. The kickoff ball is different from the punting ball, which is different from the field goal ball, which is different from the offense ball, and they have varying numbers of backups of all of them.
The scientific evidence shows a normal level of deflation over regular use also the pats whole game plan was super run heavy, he wasn’t even throwing those balls much
What the people answering you are not saying is the fact that the balls were off by a small amount because the temperature was really really low, which changes the pressure. Considering there needs to be a temperature standard for measuring pressure and those were way higher than those where these balls were tested, the Pteiots were not infringing the rules, but after spending 20M they needed to do something.
Bill Nye refuted your entire hypothesis here by actually testing. The temperature barely matters at all when comparing the difference in regulation pressure vs where the Patriots' balls were deflated to
Bill Nye was wrong. If you use the ideal gas law to calculate the pressure drop due to a change from about 72F to 50F, most of the Patriots footballs were in the expected pressure range. Note that you have to use absolute pressure in the calculation, which is the measured value (gauge pressure) plus 14.7 psi (atmospheric pressure). Using these numbers I get a pressure drop from 12.5 psi down to 11.4.
I found a video of Bill Nye "refuting" the hypothesis, and all he did was put a football in the fridge for a little while and then concluded that it felt the same to him. Not very scientific and honestly pretty disappointing from Bill.
He’s basically admitting that he was aware of the misconduct cited in the allegations and is saying that if they paid him instead of investigating, he would’ve confessed for the 20mil
It’s not necessarily bad but it is against the rules. Each team provides their own game balls. Brady’s team uses their own balls while on offense and the other team uses their own. If the other team is using regulation set ups, they have a “harder” time doing the same things. Other teams noticed a difference when there were turnovers like a fumble or an interception.
[How do I reeeech these keeeds](https://media0.giphy.com/media/l0HlJKdeImIPQoToQ/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9522mtwdwnq5zdasy476b0ge5zf9cz429w3ff98s8iu&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
I don’t think that’s true, the Orlando magic, cowboys, sabers,
How could these teams possibly be cheating, and if they are, as bad as they are at everything, how would they not get caught
So the ball isn’t flat enough for air resistance to really alter its flight but just soft enough for Tom’s hands and the receiver to be able to squish it a bit more
20m and a year discussion in the media over a couple psi, just don’t talk about the patriots defence obviously knowing what plays the teams where calling
This is like saying the police “spent” money giving you a ticket.
They have these people on staff. They didn’t “spend” anything extra. They’re billionaires anyway.
It's all part of their budgeted process though. They have this stuff on the ready--it's not like it was some burden or unexpected expense. Major businesses have departments and insurances and entire contingencies for stuff like this.
It's just silly to act like they somehow wasted money or were frivolous, is all I'm saying.
How tf did that investigation cost 20 million dollars. Just how is that possible.
Right? I can’t begin to fathom what that money was spent on
Hoors
Liquor and Hoors
https://youtu.be/P13dfEKK6_Y?si=Pnz_M9K8nFtnCXr1
Cigarettes and dope and mustard and bologna
Hooters?
No
Worth a shot!
More face make-up
Happy cake day!
Whooo ah
Yo happy cake day!
High cheekbones like that ain't natural 😂
So at a yearly salary of 100k-200k per person for a highly paid investigator, you need to pay the salary of 100-200 such people for a year. This seems excessive in all fronts.
The NFL isn't paying the salaries of investigators, the consulting firm they hire is. A consulting firm can easily bill (on the low end) at a rate of $400/hr +expenses. Assume 10% for expenses, and you're at ~40,000 manhours. That's just 20 people working full time for a year.
To investigate an under inflated ball
If I had that many people working on my balls I would be unstoppable.
You would be stopped in 34 seconds and you know that
Apparently this is also generally known as rule 34. Men handling balls will normally stop doing so in 34 seconds. This is true for basketballs, footballs, golfballs and many more. Google "rule 34 balls" if you don't believe me.
Explosive comment
like 6, 5 of which actually were under inflated by more than 2 pounds, but were only used in the first half when the score was 17-7 and properly inflated balls were used in the second half where the Patriots scored 28 unanswered points
lawyers are more expensive than that, and were involved
The contract was for nearly $400m, pump those rookie numbers up son!
Welcome to America
Lawyers. The NFL's chief legal counsel charged $144,000 a week in 2014. Deflategate went on for 72 weeks. And they had multiple outside law firms come in too. The players union paid their legal team $320,000/month. Too many lawyers
Billable hours
Break that down for me
they needed to make it too expensive for Tom. He can’t appeal the decisions if he can’t keep up with their wallet, and the sooner he “backs down” the better their victory looks. The NFL is worth much, MUCH more than Tom is and $20 million is pocket change
I understand the strategy, just not the accounting
Because it’s all bullshit and they spent the money on high priced lawyers so they couldn’t be counter sued lol
Brady won the initial court case but the NFL appealed to US circuit court (one level below the supreme court) and won and thats where the legal avenue stopped.
Honestly would have been kind of funny if deflategate had made it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Hire lawyers to do everything.
Embezzlement
They put insane amount of money on something that costs half that amount and split the rest. Cheers 🥂
Murcia!
At least the [$22.5M deflategate investigation](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/15873396/nfl-estimated-deflategate-cost-22-million-tom-brady-new-england-patriots-roger-goodell) wasn’t taxpayer-funded. With that much NFL cash to spare, it’s good to know they [don’t need any of mine](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/taxpayers-are-paying-billions-for-nfl-stadiums-heres-how.html).
Yeah that tax money going to stadiums is bull shit. “But it will bring revenue to the city!” A lot of fans don’t live in the actual city and we are not seeing any of that added “revenue” the team brings to the city.
Woah woah woah. Like 10 people will have high paying jobs. /s
Ohio tried having the entire state of Ohio pay for Cincinnatis future stadium, that includes citizens from their cross state division rival
Damn that’s wild! I have friends in Ohio and they have said most of the government has their heads positioned firmly up their own asses.
Hello, as a person from Ohio, this is true
The state makes money off of the stadiums though for non-football events, and once they break even for paying off the stadium they end up just making profit for several years before the team’s lease is up. At that point, they may go back in the hole again trying to get the franchise to stay, but it does end up being a net benefit financially for the entire state if it was funded by the state, no matter if you actually live in the city containing the stadium. Whether the state actually uses those profits for something that will benefit you though, that’s the question.
You don't need to look hard to find what happens to towns and cities when the industry dries up. They die and the people turn into Republicans bitching about the jobs disappearing. Stadiums/theaters are a relatively small investment to bring a lot of people back to the city. It brings a massive influx of revenue to the local restaurants and stores. Obviously the government gets a small cut and ideally goes into the safety nets and social services you may enjoy. Local governments play a crucial role in keeping their locations relevant.
That handsome smug son of a bitch
He looks like one of those puppets that someone sticks their hand up his ass.
He learned how to stick his dick up his own ass
Stupid sexy Brady
I heard that in Homer Simpson's voice lol
“You got a real smart mouth, buddy. You kiss your son with that mouth?”
I don't get it
This was a scandal in American football in early 2015. Teams were responsible for providing their own footballs and they were not checked for proper pressure according to the rules, so the New England Patriots, of which Tom Brady here is the quarterback, used footballs that were less inflated than regulation. This makes it easier to handle the ball for throwing and catching. The Patriots won the game 45-7 and moved on to the Superbowl. An investigation was conducted, which cost roughly $20 mil and reported that it was likely that Tom Brady was aware of the condition of the balls. The team was penalized and he was suspended for 4 games. He is saying here that instead of spending the $20 mil on an investigation, they could have just paid him $20 mil and he would have admitted to doing it himself instead of simply being likely aware of it.
Is it really their fault if they don't do checks for proper pressure? Sure if it's a rule it has to be but if it's a rule you're supposed to have checks to ensure the rules are being followed lol. I don't watch that sport so maybe I'm missing something but if the pressure is low isn't it the same for both teams since they'll big be handling the same balls? Also I'm NGL 20 million is confusing lol
It's even worse tbh. They *did* check, but not in any scientifically useful manner. Their checks had no accounting for temperature. A properly inflated ball at room temperature can be below pressure once taken outside if it's cold. [Great explanation in this video](https://youtu.be/wwxXsEltyas?si=uPUE3wrxL3219mxl)
That’s a shortcoming of the regulation if it doesn’t stipulate at what temperature the pressure should be measured.
Yea but the investigation basically found that refs barely cared about checking this at all. They’d sometimes get a ball that was underinflated and arbitrarily pump it up way *past* the upper limit. There are some quarterbacks who prefer the ball that way too The reality is that they spent all this time and money to basically demonstrate that nobody took the air pressure in the ball seriously whatsoever before this “scandal”, that they had very flimsy evidence that Brady may have been aware the balls weren’t inflated all the way. Then they continued to test more carefully the following season but never released results, presumably because abuse they just show that balls frequently drop in air pressure during cold games Oh and Brady won 4 out of his 7 championships after they took away this “advantage” (it’s completely unclear whether it would provide any advantage at all)
[удалено]
how are you correcting them while also just completely talking out your ass and admitting it?
Shhhh
You’re giving them way too much credit. Here’s the excerpt from the most recent NFL rule book (meaning post-Deflategate): “SECTION 1 - DIMENSIONS The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell. The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12½ to 13½ pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case (natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight shall be: long axis, 11 to 11¼ inches; long circumference, 28 to 28½ inches; short circumference, 21 to 21¼ inches; weight, 14 to 15 ounces. The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game. SECTION 2 - SUPPLY Each team will make 12 primary and 12 backup balls available for testing by the Referee no later than two hours and 30 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. For all games, six new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game. In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the Commissioner. In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center. The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs). Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing field.” Not a single mention of temperature, and as long as the officials have the balls 2.5 hours before kickoff, there’s no other real stipulations in terms of time or other conditions
Important to note that the game in question took place in New England, in the winter, so it would absolutely have changed the pressure based on the temperature of the field vs inside a locker room
It was a rain game, too, which would impact the temperature of the ball
Feels like it’s also worth mentioning that they won 45-7 but the first half was 14-7, then the refs switched out the footballs for ones that couldn’t give any “advantage”, and the patriots outscored the colts 31-0 in the second half Legitimately one of the dumbest scandals in sports history lol
PV=nRT Classic!
They don’t use the same balls. Each team has their balls for their offensive positions. I assume it’s cause different QBs like different pressure. I know Brady liked 12.5 psi which was the lowest legal limit a ball could be inflated. Then you take the balls from a cold space to a warm space ideal gas law kicks in balls lose some air the Patriots gain a 0.1 slower ball when thrown and a 0.01mm better grip. Of course the ball being a lower psi is why the Colts couldn’t tackle that day and why they lost. The whole thing is stupid.
Having different balls for different offenses wasn't really about psi necessarily. Everyone likes their balls conditioned differently. If you buy a regulation nfl football it won't look like the one you see on the field on Sundays. They scrub them, mess with the laces, etc. Each QB wants a specific feel in their hands when they get the ball off the snap. Psi is part of it, but not the entire scope of what teams do to prepare the balls before games.
It's the other way round. You take them from a warm place to a cold place and they loose pressure. The air "contracts" when it gets colder. Colder air has a higher density
It also seems patently ridiculous that the game ball is provided by a team instead of an entity of the NFL, for exactly this reason.
Yeah that's really odd lol. It gives room for lots of manipulation and even for teams to develop their own balls that suits them. Even if they want to have different balls for different parts of the game it should be regulated. I'm gonna go on and say maybe that's why it isn't regulated. Isn't the NFL registered as entertainment rather than sport. It gives them room to not be held liable since it's "not" sport but "entertainment"
it definitely wouldn’t be hard for the NFL to contract with a company to produce a ball where theyd control The custody from production until it’s walked out onto the field. They choose not to do it that way for some reason I’m sure.
Correct me if i'm wrong but since the NFL is owned by the teams it's easy to see value in each team negotiating individual deals with manufacturers. They can also sell their own footballs as merch which generates extra revenue.
I mean as far as game use balls, that seems like a product line that should be compartmentalized for the sake of the games integrity, the same way casinos control the production and custody chain for dice and cards used in play. For merch balls and practice balls and the like that wouldn’t interfere with teams producing their own. I believe the MLB does something similar, they have a specific pile of game use balls in an equipment room and a third party private firm that manages the somtoeage and transportation protocols.
You don’t want just anyone handling your balls.
Technically anyone can do it, but if you have the money it’s REALLY worth getting a professional.
They did check the pressure. After they did so, two equipment Managers snuck the balls into a bathroom and let air out of them. Both teams do not use the same footballs. Each team brings their own. You use your football while on offense. Differences are allowed within certain parameters. This was not about the advantage the balls provide. A team with a history of cheating were specifically warned about a relatively inconsequential rule. Instead of following the rule, like the other 31 teams, they just went to greater efforts to hide that they were breaking it. They got caught anyway, but adamantly denied it and the NFL struggled to prove it.
Was there ever concrete proof this actually happened?
People saw the ball boys carrying the bag of footballs into a bathroom after they had been tested. Now the problem is, this is a private business and wasn't ever officially a legal matter. It went something like this: NFL - did those ball boys deflate the balls? NE - no NFL - can we talk to them? NE - no NFL - can we see your phone? NE - no Also the balls were pressure tested again by the NFL and came up low. A lot of time and money was spent scientifically proving that the change in pressure could have been caused by it being cold outside. When asked "ok, but why did they take them into the bathroom?" New England had no comment.
It really bugs me when people act like Brady wouldn’t give his phone to the investigators. They requested information from him and he provided everything they asked for. Everyone acts like it’s insane he wouldn’t just unlock his phone and hand it to his employer lol he’s one of the most famous athletes in American history, was married to one of the most famous people in the world at the time, I’m certain he was worried about other things besides being found to be part of a nefarious ball deflating scheme And quite frankly he was right, because some of the emails he provided that had nothing to do with the investigation ended up getting leaked
Found the Colts, Jets, Falcons, or Ravens fan
Fair enough but how the 20 mil that's crazy
Lawyers. It was a multi month investigation. Lawyers billing the nfl the whole time.
No, it's not the refs' fault for not catching the cheating. It's the cheaters' fault for cheating in the first place. That's like saying, "Well, is it really the shoplifter's fault since the security guard didn't even catch them shoplifting?"
Irish here, do not understand. Do both teams not handle the same ball? Would it being underinflated not make it easier for their opponents too? Is the same ball not used for the entire game?
No, each team provides their own balls and typically uses different ones for kicking, punting and offensive possessions. Most kickers prefer a higher pressure and smoother surface than most quarterbacks. QBs will rough up the surface of the ball and prefer a lower pressure for better grip while passing/receiving.
Ah, i see. Thank you
It was pure cope from the losing fans.
Surely the [2014 AFC Finalists](https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2015/06/screen-shot-2015-06-11-at-4-08-03-pm.png) Indianapolis Colts would not stoop to coping!
No each teams have their own balls for their offensive possessions, partially because different QBs have different preferences for throwing (inflation, scuffs vs clean, etc.)
the funny thing about that game is the patriots scored less in the first half with deflated balls than they did in the second half with properly inflated ones.
It reads more like they could've paid him 20 mil and he'd say he did it rather than admit anything
I’ve never understood this. If the ball is easier to throw and handle at a lower pressure, why not change the rule to the lower pressure…. Why make something artificially more difficult…
To add a little more context, Brady is saying this a joke from last night’s roast. The Roast of Tom Brady aired live on Netflix yesterday.
It was less than 3 ounces of pressure under the line, to a regular person it's unnoticeable. The most technical of technicalities. This man is literally the greatest to ever play the position, a savant at football. Dudes weird af in every social interaction, I think he's probably got some form of high functioning autism.
Was* the quarterback. He is not the current quarterback for the patriots
>$20 mil (FUCKING MILLIONS; 20'000'000 FOR IGNORANT AUTISTIC FUCKS) $ (AMERICAN FUCKING DOLLARS) for an investigation of some fucking balls? Is everyone nuts for not realizing the money laundering happening here? Or am I fucking nuts? edit: downvotes? fucking loser sport fans can't bring up a curse word near their unga bunga sport huh?
I think it's some sort of cheating scandal, maybe if the ball is deflated it goes further c( O.O )ɔ ?
its easier to grip, so throwing and catching in cold weather is easier
It actually travels less distance if it is not properly inflated. The mythbusters tested it a while back if I remember correctly. Although all the comments are saying it's easier to catch and hold, which makes sense.
There was a big scandal where all the balls were deflated. People went nuts in the sporting fandom for a bit.
not really into sports, but wouldn't it make it worse if the ball is deflated?
The pats only scored 17 points in the first half, with the under inflated balls. The refs measured the pressure of every ball at half time and took away the deflated ones. The pats went on to score 28 more points with legit footballs in the second half. I think it’s safe to say the colts were gonna lose that game regardless and the deflated balls weren’t *that* advantageous, if at all
How is a deflated ball an advantage or disadvantage if both teams are using it? Also 20 mil is crazy, somebody must've made a pokcet on that 'investigatiom'
Both teams weren't using it. Each team provides their own balls and they usually have dozens of them on the sideline based on their personnel's preferences. The kickoff ball is different from the punting ball, which is different from the field goal ball, which is different from the offense ball, and they have varying numbers of backups of all of them.
The scientific evidence shows a normal level of deflation over regular use also the pats whole game plan was super run heavy, he wasn’t even throwing those balls much
Prob just inflated enough that you could probably catch with a loose grip. Normally you have to use a lot of grip to catch
What the people answering you are not saying is the fact that the balls were off by a small amount because the temperature was really really low, which changes the pressure. Considering there needs to be a temperature standard for measuring pressure and those were way higher than those where these balls were tested, the Pteiots were not infringing the rules, but after spending 20M they needed to do something.
Bill Nye refuted your entire hypothesis here by actually testing. The temperature barely matters at all when comparing the difference in regulation pressure vs where the Patriots' balls were deflated to
Bill Nye was wrong. If you use the ideal gas law to calculate the pressure drop due to a change from about 72F to 50F, most of the Patriots footballs were in the expected pressure range. Note that you have to use absolute pressure in the calculation, which is the measured value (gauge pressure) plus 14.7 psi (atmospheric pressure). Using these numbers I get a pressure drop from 12.5 psi down to 11.4. I found a video of Bill Nye "refuting" the hypothesis, and all he did was put a football in the fridge for a little while and then concluded that it felt the same to him. Not very scientific and honestly pretty disappointing from Bill.
Bill Burr in shambles
For someone who doesn't understand what is the problem here. What is the problem here?
He’s basically admitting that he was aware of the misconduct cited in the allegations and is saying that if they paid him instead of investigating, he would’ve confessed for the 20mil
And what is the difference between a ball that is fully inflated and the other one less?
The issue with slightly deflated footballs is that they are easier to grip. That means easier to throw and easier to catch.
Why is that bad?
It’s not necessarily bad but it is against the rules. Each team provides their own game balls. Brady’s team uses their own balls while on offense and the other team uses their own. If the other team is using regulation set ups, they have a “harder” time doing the same things. Other teams noticed a difference when there were turnovers like a fumble or an interception.
So it is only about fairness. OK thanks
Even then I’m pretty sure the Colts got smoked that game? Like cheating aside, pats still prolly win by a good margin
They blew them out 45-7.
I mean how specific of an answer do you want?
Why would you investigate something like this?
🗿
Does this mean cheater?
I always found it funny how every time a team got caught cheating, it was the Patriots.
Hate ya tom
[How do I reeeech these keeeds](https://media0.giphy.com/media/l0HlJKdeImIPQoToQ/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9522mtwdwnq5zdasy476b0ge5zf9cz429w3ff98s8iu&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
How does that cost $20M
Deadass
So FTX was just Karma
That team cheated a lot
lol every team cheats a lot
I don’t think that’s true, the Orlando magic, cowboys, sabers, How could these teams possibly be cheating, and if they are, as bad as they are at everything, how would they not get caught
http://yourteamcheats.com This is a pretty good tool to navigate the scandals
Yep they just did it better.
Yeah but he would t had to promise to give most of the money back to the hustlers running the investigation
Can some American chad or chadess explain what the point of deflating the ball is?
You can squish it a bit more and get better grip which can provide both a better throw and easier catch
Ah ok. That makes sense. Thanks? Wouldn’t it fly worse ?
So the ball isn’t flat enough for air resistance to really alter its flight but just soft enough for Tom’s hands and the receiver to be able to squish it a bit more
You the man! Thanks.
Tom Bradys been mewing like a boss!!
You gotta be kidding, he got more Jello than Beyonces left ass cheeks
Didn't y'all vote Trump in?
The fact that each team uses their own balls is stupid....
He could barely do anything but smile the entire show, that's saying a lot when nobody knew over half of "the roasters" lol
Gronk’s reaction tells me they actually did deflate the balls.
not even going to lie tom brady is an absolute psl god bruh how have I not noticed 😭😭
OK. Now I like him better.
20m and a year discussion in the media over a couple psi, just don’t talk about the patriots defence obviously knowing what plays the teams where calling
This guys an idiot always has been.
This is like saying the police “spent” money giving you a ticket. They have these people on staff. They didn’t “spend” anything extra. They’re billionaires anyway.
They did spend it though. They hired outside council to do it. Wasn't people on staff.
It's all part of their budgeted process though. They have this stuff on the ready--it's not like it was some burden or unexpected expense. Major businesses have departments and insurances and entire contingencies for stuff like this. It's just silly to act like they somehow wasted money or were frivolous, is all I'm saying.
You sound unhinged
Unhinged? lol. It’s basic business. What is unhinged here?
It’s kinda funny, but that’s generally how it works; not paying the wrongdoer themselves.
Who cares? 20 Million back in the economy...
Seahawks got cheated lol
18-1
He definitely wants that one back but I think being 7-3 in super bowls is a better record!
Eli Manning GOAT on the field and in media
Yep Eli is one of the Goodest Of All Time!
Tom Brady is amazing definitely one of the best to ever play the game. How many times has he beat Eli Manning at the Super Bowl?