NFL Issues First Official Statement On ‘Deflate-Gate’, Confirms Under-Inflated Footballs

The National Football League (NFL) issued its first official statement on Friday about “Deflate-Gate” saying that there were under-inflated footballs used in the AFC Championship Game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. The league has determined that some footballs used by the Patriots in the second half was properly inflated but that the same footballs were under-inflated in the first half.

The official NFL statement was released on Friday with the NFL investigation being led by NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the law firm of Paul Weiss. According to the press release, the investigation began Sunday night with around 40 people already interviewed.

"Our office has been conducting an investigation as to whether the footballs used in last Sunday's AFC Championship Game complied with the specifications that are set forth in the playing rules,” the NFL statement said. “The investigation began based on information that suggested that the game balls used by the New England Patriots were not properly inflated to levels required by the playing rules, specifically Playing Rule 2, Section 1, which requires that the ball be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday's game.”

"The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games. We take seriously claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence.”

“While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.”

Both Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick denied any involvement in “Deflate-Gate” in separate press conferences on Thursday. The team, through chief executive officer and chairman Robert Kraft also released their own statement on Friday.

“On Monday, I received a letter from the league office informing me that they would be conducting an investigation into the air pressure of the game balls. Immediately after receiving the letter, I instructed our staff to be completely cooperative and transparent with the league’s investigators. During the three days they were here, we provided access to every full- and parttime employee the league’s representatives requested to speak with and produced every communication device that they requested to search,” Kraft said in the statement.

“ It is an ongoing process that the league and our team are taking very seriously. I very much support the league’s desire to conduct a complete investigation and welcome the appointment of Ted Wells to lead the process. Competitive balance and the integrity of the game are the foundation of what makes our league so special and I have the utmost respect for those principles. Our organization will continue to cooperate throughout the league’s investigation. Meanwhile, our players, coaches and staff will continue to focus on our preparations for Super Bowl XLIX and the many challenges we face as we prepare for the Seattle Seahawks.”

The Patriots face the Seahawks on Feb. 1, 2015 for Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.

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