Deflategate The Infamous Scandal That Forever Tarnished Tom Brady And

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 18, 2025, 11:33 AM

deflategate the infamous scandal that forever tarnished tom brady and

The Deflategate scandal was a National Football League (NFL) controversy in the United States involving the allegation that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs that were used in... The controversy resulted in Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season, while the Patriots were fined $1 million and forfeited two draft selections in 2016.[1] For his alleged part in the scandal, Brady's suspension was originally to be implemented during the 2015 regular season.[2] Brady successfully appealed the suspension in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, allowing him to resume his playing duties for the entirety of 2015.[3] However, following the conclusion of the season, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated Brady's four-game suspension, which became effective for the 2016 regular season.[4] After losing a request for a rehearing, Brady announced he would accept the suspension and... Brady was later reinstated as the Patriots' starting quarterback on October 9, 2016, versus the Cleveland Browns, concluding the events of Deflategate.[5][6] The controversy remained a topic of discussion during the season, which concluded...

The season also saw the NFL change the procedure for monitoring football pressure, conducting air pressure spot-checks during halftime of games.[7] In February 2022, it was revealed by sportswriter Mike Florio that the NFL deleted data from 2015 regular season football air-pressure spot-checks that showed similar deflation of balls at halftime in similar weather conditions... The official rules of the National Football League require footballs to be inflated to a gauge pressure of between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (86 and 93 kPa) when measured by the... The rules do not specify the temperature at which such measurement is to be made.[9] As stated by the pressure-temperature law, there is a positive correlation between the temperature and pressure of a gas... Thus, if a football were inflated to the minimum pressure of 12.5 psi at room temperature, the pressure would drop below the minimum as the gases inside cooled to a lower ambient temperature on... Before 2006, normal NFL operating procedure was for the home team to provide all of the game's footballs.

In 2006, the rules were altered so that each team uses its own footballs while on offense. Teams rarely handle a football used by the other team except after recovering a fumble or interception. Brady, along with Peyton Manning, who started at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, argued for the rules to change for the express purpose of letting quarterbacks use footballs that suited them.[11] Removing... Tom Brady earned a lot of accolades during his NFL career. He won seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three NFL MVPs across his 20 years with the Patriots and Buccaneers. He also made some ignominious history, however, with his involvement in the Deflategate scandal.

Deflategate took the NFL by storm in 2015 after Brady and the Patriots were accused of deliberately utilizing game balls that were improperly inflated during the AFC championship game. What followed was a dramatic NFL investigation and the most severe punishment in league history. Here's everything to know about Deflategate, Brady's alleged involvement in the scheme, and how the Patriots reacted to the historic discipline levied by the NFL. MORE: Bears DT takes shot at Patriots for Deflategate after MNF win With 9:21 remaining in the second quarter of the 2015 AFC championship game, Indianapolis linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a pass by Tom Brady. Upon reaching the sideline, Jackson tossed the ball to a Colts equipment staffer.

The ball, per the staffer, felt underinflated. Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano and later team officials were notified. At halftime, the NFL conducted a rushed measurement of the Patriots' footballs (each team uses their own in a game) and found the pounds per square inch levels (PSI) for some of the balls... Twelve new footballs were used in the second half for New England to complete the 45-7 annihilation. Among the Colts, and some NFL executives, this seemed like proof of a massive cheating scandal involving the Patriots, who many had suspected of such things (remember Spygate?). Just how, after all, does one team win so much?

And how, after all, does Brady, the one-time 199th pick in the NFL Draft, become the greatest quarterback of all time? The ensuing madness was one of the wilder and weirder stories in NFL lore — part who done it, part high-paid legal drama, part science lesson, part Rorschach test, part character assassination, part legal... By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on March 8, 2024 at 11:30 AM EST Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was front and center during the infamous Deflategate scandal in 2014. As you may know, Brady spent 20 of his 22 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots where he won six of his seven Super Bowls. During one of those seasons, Brady and the team were accused of illegally deflating footballs, better known as Deflategate.

Now, years later, Brady's former teammate, Darrelle Revis, is revealing exactly how the former quarterback handled the scandal, and how it affected his personal life. Deflategate went down after the Indianapolis Colts accused the New England Patriots of using illegally deflated footballs to give them an advantage in the 2014 AFC Championship Game -- a game where Brady and... November 30, 2024, 10:12am EST 50 • By Debmallya Chakraborty Tom Brady is an NFL legend whose name is associated with a lot of historic feats. Boasting an incredible record of having the most passing yards at 89,214, Brady’s accolades speak for itself. He also has the most passing touchdowns(649), followed by a whopping 15 Pro Bowl appearances.

However, keeping aside the glorious deeds, Brady’s name is also associated with one of the most hated NFL controversies of all time- The Deflategate. Here’s everything that you need to know. The New England Patriots emerged victorious against the Indianapolis Colts back in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. However, scathing allegations against Tom Brady poured cold waters on the Patriots’ spectacular victory. As per the speculations, Brady deliberately asked for deflating the balls used by the Patriots. This was a huge accusation as this would mean that the Patriots’ players had an undue advantage over the others throughout the league.

Tom Brady finally laughs about Deflategate in the @footlocker #WeekOfGreatness video. #ad pic.twitter.com/B8GTsyIaWv As per the official rules laid down by the NFL, there is a certain limit to which the football must be inflated. It must have a gauge pressure measuring between 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch. Anything below that will enable the athletes to throw, catch, or grab the ball much more easily. The speculation initially came into the limelight when the Baltimore Ravens and the Colts doubted foul play.

And while this remains as one of the biggest NFL scandals, Tom Brady didn’t get away easily. The Deflategate scandal remains one of the most controversial episodes in NFL history, casting a long shadow over Tom Brady, one of the league’s most iconic quarterbacks, and the New England Patriots. The controversy erupted from the 2014 AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2015, between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots were accused of allegedly tampering with footballs, specifically deflating them to give Brady and his offense an illegal advantage. The crux of the scandal revolved around the claim that the Patriots deliberately deflated footballs to a level below the NFL’s minimum requirement of 12.5 pounds per square inch (PSI). Removing air from a football makes it easier to grip, throw, and catch, particularly in the cold and wet conditions that prevailed during the game.

This could ostensibly enhance a quarterback’s control over the ball, reduce the likelihood of fumbles, and make catches easier for receivers. The suspicions arose when Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a pass from Brady and noticed the football felt underinflated. This observation led the Colts to alert the NFL, prompting an investigation that quickly gained media traction. The NFL’s investigation, spearheaded by attorney Ted Wells, concluded that it was “more probable than not” that Patriots personnel deliberately released air from the footballs and that Brady was at least generally aware of... The fallout from the Wells Report was swift and severe. Brady was suspended for four games, the Patriots were fined $1 million, and the team forfeited their first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The scandal polarized fans, analysts, and players, with many arguing over the fairness of the punishment and the integrity of the evidence. Brady, known for his fiercely competitive nature and meticulous preparation, vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He appealed the suspension, resulting in a protracted legal battle that eventually reached the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 2016, the court reinstated Brady’s suspension, emphasizing the NFL Commissioner’s broad authority under the collective bargaining agreement. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The scandal that has come to be known as “Deflategate” began with a simple tweet citing a league investigation into the footballs in the 2015 AFC Championship.

It is now stretching into its third season, with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady scheduled to sit out the first four games of 2016. Here is a timeline of some of the notable events in the saga: Jan. 18, 2015: Patriots beat Colts 45-7 in AFC Championship game . Jan. 19, 1:55 a.m.: Hours after the game, Bob Kravitz of WTHR in Indianapolis writes on Twitter : “Breaking: A league source tells me the NFL is investigating the possibility the Patriots deflated footballs Sunday...

More to come.” The NFL later confirms it is looking into whether footballs supplied by New England were properly inflated . Jan. 22: Patriots coach Bill Belichick defers questions to Brady, who denies doctoring the footballs: “I have no knowledge of anything, any wrongdoing.”

Deflategate The Infamous Scandal That Forever Tarnished Tom Brady And

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