How The Nfl Deflategate Scandal Really Affected Tom Brady Yahoo

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 18, 2025, 11:34 AM

how the nfl deflategate scandal really affected tom brady yahoo

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... Due to the accusations, the NFL suspended Brady for four games the following season, plus fined the Patriots $1 million.

The team also had to forfeit two draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft. 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 January 22, 2025, 11:23am EST 182 • By Arnab Mondal Tom Brady, one of the NFL’s most iconic quarterbacks, retired at age 44 after an illustrious 22-season career, 20 of which he spent with the New England Patriots. While his career is packed with legendary moments, the Deflategate scandal overshadows his legacy. The controversy ignited a heated debate: Is Brady a football legend or a cheater?

Let’s break it down. Deflategate refers to allegations that Tom Brady and the Patriots broke NFL rules by deflating footballs during the 2014 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. At halftime, officials tested game-used footballs and found that 11 out of 12 were under the NFL-mandated pressure of 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI). One ball was reportedly two PSI under, while the rest were only slightly below the minimum. The NFL launched an investigation, which led to a 253-page report blaming the Patriots organization. The report suggested Brady knew about a scheme to deflate footballs.

The NFL fined the team $1 million, took away two draft picks, and suspended Brady for four games in 2016. 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... Since arriving in the NFL at the dawn of the 21st century, Tom Brady has gone on to establish himself as arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. The 43-year old veteran has a host of trophies and records to his name.

7 Super Bowl wins, 3 MVP titles, 5 Super Bowl MVP honours and 14 Pro Bowl appearances. These are just a few of his achievements in what has been a distinguished career at the top level. Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Brady, who turns 44 in August, is preparing for a title defence in 2021 with Bruce Arians-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But this article is not about that. Rather, it is about one of the most controversial moments from Tom’s career that spans more than two decades – The 2014 Deflategate scandal. ALSO READ – How Tom Brady’s Book Helped Aaron Rodgers Maintain His Fitness Levels So what is the Deflategate scandal and why was Tom Brady at the center of it all? Well, the whole controversy revolves around the 2014 AFC Championship Game between New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. Bill Belichick’s boys won the game by a comfortable 7-45 scoreline at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Is Tom Brady a legend or a cheater? Or both? Brady spent 20 of his 22 NFL seasons as quarterback of the New England Patriots and won six of his seven Super Bowls in Foxborough. Now, after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he plans to retire at the age of 44. Patriots fans rode through ups and downs with Brady for two decades, but perhaps no trial was greater than the Deflategate scandal of 2014 — an exhaustive investigation into accusations of illegally deflating footballs... Now seven years removed from the genesis of the scandal, what really happened and how did the investigation affect Brady's legacy?

Deflategate was the term used to refer to the scandal and the corresponding investigation into allegations Brady and the Patriots broke NFL rules by deflating footballs during the 2014 AFC title game against the... The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our... We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters.

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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.

How The Nfl Deflategate Scandal Really Affected Tom Brady Yahoo

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