The New England Patriots built a dynasty in the NFL that spanned over nearly two decades, winning 6 Super Bowls Bowls, nine AFC Championship Games, and sixteen AFC East titles, earning an overall regular season record of 266–121.
Tom Brady was the team’s quarterback for most of the dynasty, winning several NFL MVP honors and Super Bowl MVP awards along the way.
But with the team’s success came controversy and scandal. There was “Spygate” where the New England Patriots were accused of filming their opponents practices so they would know their plays ahead of playing them in regular season games.
And then came “Deflategate.”
Deflategate was the term used to refer to the scandal and the corresponding investigation into allegations Brady and the New England Patriots broke NFL rules by deflating footballs during the 2014 AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts.
A game-used ball was tested at halftime — an unprecedented occurrence at the time — and a years-long investigation and legal battle ensued. A new NFL ordinance has since been adopted that games can be randomly selected to have footballs removed at halftime and analyzed.
NFL footballs are required to be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI). Dean Blandino, the NFL’s officiating vice president, said in 2015 the NFL did not log the pregame measurements of footballs, so there is no official record. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported 11 of the 12 footballs used in the first half were determined by officials to be under the minimum PSI at halftime, with one coming in two PSI under and the rest just “a few ticks” under
Former New England Patriots QB Tom Brady Makes Shocking Admission About Deflategate
For years, there has been speculation if Brady was aware of the deflated footballs, but the former Patriots QB continually denied any knowledge.
Other than circumstantial evidence, there is no direct line connecting Brady to an implicit act against NFL rules. However, Brady did destroy his cell phone prior to it being used in the investigation. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called Brady’s act a willful obstruction of evidence
.Various explanations were debated at the time, including physics theories that explain how temperature and other conditions effect pressure.
But a 253-page report from the league found the New England Patriots at fault. Brady was alleged to be “at least generally aware” of a plot to deflate the footballs. He was eventually suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, while the team was handed a $1 million fine and lost two draft picks.
Brady repeatedly denied all accusations.
“I didn’t alter the balls in any way,” he said in 2015.
On Sunday night during his official roast on Netflix, the former New England Patriots QB made a shocking admission after years of denying involvement.
Tom Brady just confessed to Deflategate 😬pic.twitter.com/n5qGmUoT46 https://t.co/OPARXsEGsZ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 6, 2024
“The NFL spent $20 million and found that it was more ‘probable’ than not, that I was ‘generally’ aware that someone may have deflated my footballs. You could’ve just given me the 20 mil and I would’ve just told you I f***ing did it.”
Finally, Brady came clean and now the world knows the truth.
In 2006, Brady and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning argued for a rule change that eventually allowed road teams to bring their own footballs. At the time, only home teams were permitted to supply game-used footballs.
The rule change also allowed quarterbacks to be pickier about the footballs they use — including and not limited to washing them and throwing them in the dryer.
“We had a little petition going around … and got 20 quarterbacks to sign the petition,” Manning said at the time. “We tracked Steve (McNair) down in Mississippi. Everybody faxed their petition back pretty much the next day. It was pretty much a no-brainer on trying to get that changed because it just makes sense.
“Nobody wants to see a receiver wide open and the ball two-hopped to him because the ball is slick.”
Now all the New England Patriots haters can relish in the fact that Brady admitted to cheating.