It’s been 10 years since #Deflategate

Ten years ago today, the Patriots blew out the Colts in the AFC Championship. The final score of 45-7 quickly became a footnote.

During the night, Colts reporter Bob Kravitz dropped a bombshell. The NFL was investigating whether the Patriots deflated the footballs used by their offense that day. And with that #Deflategate was born.

We will not discuss this case again. My personal conclusion, after carefully following it from beginning to end, was that: (1) yes, Tom Brady had a deflation system below 12.5 psi; (2) the evidence gathered by the frivolous, results-driven investigation that whoever deflated the footballs on that particular day was inconclusive at best; and (3) Brady was far from cooperative with the overall truth-seeking effort.

By the way, many first learned about the Ideal Gas Law, coach Bill Belichick made the obscure (and wonderful) My cousin Vinny referenceBrady held a completely unconvincing press conference in the days after the dog hit the fan, Ted Wells released a 243-page report finding Brady guilty, a trial court blocked Brady’s four-game suspension, and Brady ultimately lost on appeal . (The suspension was served more than a year later, for the start of the 2016 season.)

The curiosity became full of controversy when someone falsely informed multiple reporters that halftime measurements showed that 11 of 12 footballs were more than two pounds under the minimum. And that lit the fuse for a scandal that sucked up a lot of the NFL’s oxygen for months.

There were more details and some news Playmakers. After the NFL implemented a system of on-site blood pressure checks during halftime of games in 2015, data was fiercely protected before it is eventually deleted. Which was interpreted as an indication that the raw numbers from the 2015 games proved that, even if Brady and his pads (the “Deflator,” one was nicknamed) had a system to “take the top off” of the ball, the evidence that day from that game were not clear enough to prove an offence.

That is why the final judgment relied on the phrase “more likely than not” and ignored “best memory” by umpire Walt Anderson regarding the key question of which of the two pressure gauges was used before the shot to check the balls. Under the higher standard of proof, there is no way to credibly prove that fraud occurred. Even if the folks at 345 Park Avenue convinced themselves that it did, presumably to appease owners who still believed the Patriots got off too easy in the 2007 Spygate scandal.

Most have forgotten the details. (Heck, I had to resort to Google to refresh my memory on most of it.) It’s a testament to a league where fans always look ahead, not behind. Until the next game, the next season, the next Super Bowl, the next draft, the next bright shiny object to distract from warts and holes.

The ironic PS of the whole story is that, a decade after the NFL publicly and aggressively branded Brady a cheater, the NFL welcomed Brady into the club as a team owner while allowing him to have a competitive advantage that no other team enjoys. , as a broadcaster who studies teams, attends games and generally keeps his finger on the changing pulse of the entire NFL.