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Deflategate
The now famous playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts ended with a devastating result for the Colts and a PR nightmare for the Patriots. With the Patriots crushing the Colts with the final score of 45-7, it wasn’t too far into the cringe worthy game when speculation regarding a controversy began to surface in the media having to do with deflated footballs.
The investigation is being led by NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash and independent attorney Ted Wells. The Patriots have promised full cooperation with the investigation. About 40 people have been interviewed about the scandal and interestingly Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady remains to be questioned.
NFL has released the following statement regarding the case, “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.” They continue, “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.” Visit here to read the entire excerpt from the NFL.
Even if the Patriots are found guilty of the wrongdoing, there is little-to-no chance that they will be stripped of their Superbowl spot. The bad news could however come in form of suspensions to players which would be especially devastating for the Patriots (fans) if it happens to be Tom Brady. Serious penalties could also be placed on the referees – after all, they are the ones that handle the footballs after each play.
Marshawn Lynch “Gold Cleats”
Seattle Seahawks Marshawn Lynch has been amidst several controversies. He has recently been fined $20,000 for obscene celebrations after a touchdown during the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. But what had received more controversy are his intentions to wear gold cleats during the game. NFL had sent a suspension threat to Lynch if he appeared in the game with gold cleats; NFL regulates the gear that athletes are allowed to wear and under one of their rules, the cleats an athlete wear has to be part of the jersey’s color scheme.
Now unless the Seahawks decide to go out of there way to completely change their colors, it seems like Marshawn Lynch will not be having his way.
Interestingly, NFL is also considering fining Marshawn Lynch $50,000 each for the past two seasons for refusing to speak to the media. NFL is also contemplating to fine him for each time he refuses to speak to the media – a trend he continued after the game this past Sunday. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are crucial days for the players to be interviewed in spirit of the Super Bowl; it would surely be interesting to see how this situation ends up.
The Coaches and their Checkered Pasts
The Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick is no stranger to conspiracies and accusations. Besides the recent investigation regarding deflated game balls, there have been numerous other controversies in the past. Earning the title “Belicheat”, he had led the Patriots to win three Super Bowls before he was caught in 2007 for videotaping opposing teams’ sideline signals, known as “Spygate”.
Seahawk’s coach Pete Carroll, although not as notorious as Belichick in regards to controversies, still does have his skeletons. He was the head coach of USC and at one point was blamed for helping his athletes (specifically Reggie Bush) bring in external opportunities like, internships and agent deals and this went way beyond NCAA’s guidelines. By comparison, this is surely not quite to Belichick level but its obvious that Carroll’s hands are certainly not the cleanest, either.
With less than a week to go before Super Bowl, we hope to see some more answers regarding Deflategate and the Lynch issue. What are your thoughts on the current issues and which team are you supporting this year?