‘Deflategate’ was always a hoax
It is not surprising to read the account of new noninformation in the notorious “Deflategate” business that engulfed the New England Patriots in 2014-2015. There was never anything there in the first place beyond vague allegations, false claims, and (no joke intended) a surplus of hot air. The entire business was a hoax, successfully pulled off during the AFC Championship game by the Indianapolis Colts.
For the second time in six weeks, the Colts were in the process of being decisively crushed by the Patriots. The first was in a regular-season game in Indianapolis, that had been touted as a likely preview of the Conference Championship game. And it was, though not the way the experts had predicted. Subsequently, faceless people in the Colts organization began to float claims that Patriots QB Tom Brady was in the habit of cheating — winning games by underinflating game balls, thus making them easier to grip. Deprived of a victory, the Colts sought revenge.
The game started off in familiar fashion, with New England outscoring the Colts handily. At about the six-minute mark of the second quarter, Colts defender DeQwell Jackson intercepted a Brady pass, and he held onto the ball and brought it to the Colts’ sideline. At halftime, that ball was handed to the officials by an unknown Colts equipment guy, with the observation that it felt “a little underinflated.” The Patriots’ victory was soon overshadowed by an investigation into them cheating.
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