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Essay On Deflategate

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On January 18th, 2015, during the NFL’s AFC Championship, New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, was accused of throwing deflated footballs in the first half of the game. It wasn’t noticed until Colts linebacker, D’Qwell Jackson, intercepted a Tom Brady pass in the second quarter and realized the football didn’t have the proper air quantity. Colts personnel measured the ball and it was, in fact, under regulation amount. The footballs were inflated during halftime; however, Brady threw better with the proper sized balls than he did with the deflated balls. News began to leak on social media regarding the situation, and soon after, the NFL launched an independent investigation and concluded the findings in the Wells Report. The Wells Report …show more content…

The Patriots are viewed yearly as favorites for the Super Bowl and for them to carry out something of this magnitude in a game they were favored in, makes little to no sense. The Colts historically don’t play well against the Patriots in New England, so for me I think the Patriots could’ve used NERF footballs and beat the Colts that day. The Patriots have a history of breaking the rules, but to affect the equipment used during the game was unprofessional and unfair to the Colts. If the Patriots weren’t favored or had a history of cheating, I believe this story wouldn’t have been blown out of proportion. The NFL rules state all footballs to be in between 12.5 to 13.5 PSI and their footballs were measured at less than 12.5 PSI. The fact that they weren’t playing with the correct equipment is the main reason it’s unethical, but the incidents that went on in the courtroom in the following months challenged the morals of football and affected the Patriots …show more content…

TV analysts yearly pick the Patriots to win the Super Bowl and by doing that it affects the fans’ expectations of the team. The NFL didn’t have a process to follow on how footballs should be handled before a game, thus leading the Patriots down this path. It wasn’t until after this incident, that the NFL implemented a gameday process for the handling of the footballs. If the NFL had a process before this, it wouldn’t have happened and the ethical view on the Patriots wouldn’t have been affected. The fact that Tom Brady was the centerpiece dramatically changes team personnel’s opinions which led to the two guys supposedly scheming a plan to fit Brady’s preferences. Tom Brady is viewed as a top public figure in the New England area and to the Patriots team, and it’s doubtful anyone would attempt to stop

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