New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sternly denied at a press conference on Saturday any involvement in the deflation of game balls during Sunday's American Football Conference championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Bill Belichick: "I believe now 100% that I personally, and we as an organization, have followed every rule to the letter."— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 24, 2015
[seealso slug=http://sale-online.click/2015/01/20/deflate-gate-patriots/%5D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EControversy began when 11 of 12 footballs used by the Patriots turned out to be under-inflated, with the PSI (pounds per square inch) of the balls coming in below the NFL's mandated level. The Colts had also previously complained to the league about the Patriots deflating balls in November.
Belichick, who is typically very terse with the media, touched on a variety of subjects and took questions at Saturday's presser. He said the Patriots had delved into the science of how air and atmospheric conditions can affect the inflation of footballs.
Belichick meeting media saying Pats study revealed balls cal lose 1.5psi when moved outside. I failed AP physics. Who am I to second guess?— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 24, 2015
He also referenced internal studies that it conducted surrounding how the Patriots and NFL handle footballs. The team performed tests with its quarterbacks and footballs using various amounts of air; Belichick said the quarterbacks had trouble spotting the difference.
Belichick: "Our quarterbacks were unable to differentiate between 1 PSI difference in footballs, some couldn't tell between 2 PSI difference— Lee Schechter (@LeeSchechter) January 24, 2015
Belichick also appeared to address claims that evidence of the Patriots' low fumble rate was proof that it had systematically deflated footballs.
Belichick: "Our players train in conditions that a lot of people would recommend we not drive in. That's what they do."— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) January 24, 2015
As the presser moved on, Belichick seemed to grow bolder, even dropping in a reference to the movie My Cousin Vinny.
Bill Belichick says “I’m not a scientist.” … then drops a Mona Lisa Vito reference… My Cousin Vinny!— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2015
Still, he said he was not thrilled to be speaking on the topic.
Belichick: "I'm embarrassed to talk about the amount of time I've put into this, relative to the other challenge we have in front of us."— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 24, 2015
"This is the end of this subject for me for a long time." -Bill Belichick is closing the door on #DeflateGate pic.twitter.com/ftREM7gDcB— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 24, 2015
The NFL is currently investigating the situation, which Belichick said the Patriots welcomed.
"We welcome the leagues investigation in this matter" -- Belichick. #BringIt— Mike Loyko (@NEPD_Loyko) January 24, 2015
In all seriousness, Belichick forced NFL’s investigation into interesting direction. How much will final report include scientific studies?— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 24, 2015