It's all over the news in the sports world today that 11/12 game balls in the AFC Championship game were under-inflated. There is a mass of people that believe the Patriots shouldn't go to the Superbowl because of this. Then there are the people that say it wouldn't have mattered. I have mixed feelings and a few questions. Here are my thoughts.....
WHO KNEW ABOUT IT? Realistically game balls are supposed to be examined two hours before kickoff. How was this missed or how were they swapped if they were checked?
SHOULD THE TEAM BE PUNISHED IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW? We may never know if the team knew. It's a he said she said. If they didn't know, should they be punished? They're not responsible for checking the balls. It's like punishing the kids for a parent's crime.
HOW DID AN AMAZING QB LIKE TOM BRADY NOT NOTICE UNDERINFLATION? If I'm being fair, it was cold. Maybe since they all, more or less, felt the same he thought he was just cold and feeling strange because of it. With that being said, you gotta wonder if he noticed.
SHOULD THEY HAVE TO FORFEIT THE SUPERBOWL? Like so many things about the NFL, the policy is clearly stated. They are punished with a fine and loss of draft pick. Maybe the policy will change in the future but you can't change the rules now or you're no better than the cheaters themselves.
DID IT AFFECT THE OUTCOME? Maybe, maybe not. Realistically the Patriots are a superior team. My opinion is that they would have won anyway.
In my humble opinion, if the Patriots do win the Superbowl, there will be a proverbial asterisk by their win (though not literal). There will be controversy over fairness but the truth is that they outplayed the Colts...period. They deserved the championship....period. Now excuse me while I go pour acid on my tongue for giving props to a team I despise. It's all out of respect for the game as a whole.
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