The digital gauge can deflate a football in just seconds.
The digital gauge can deflate a football in just seconds.

Turns out that the NFL’s New England Patriots deflated footballs to gain an edge on the field after all.

A new investigative report released by attorney Ted Wells on Wednesday found that “it is more probable than not” that the Patriots purposefully took air out of footballs during last season’s playoffs.

The 243-page report found that two team employees participated in the deflating, while quarterback Tom Brady was also “at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities.”

In a statement, Patriots owner Robert Kraft continued to deny that his team broke any rules.

“Throughout the process of this nearly four-month investigation, we have cooperated and patiently awaited its outcome,” he said. “To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement.”

The NFL has yet to issue any penalties to the Patriots, who defeated Seattle to win the Super Bowl in February.

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The report revealed that the Patriots’ game balls were all under the minimum PSI (pounds per square inch of pressure) levels at halftime of the AFC Championship. It also notes that the two team employees used a “needle” to deflate the footballs.

GeekWire saw one of these “needles” in action back in February when we visited Baden Sports to learn more about ball pressure and why a quarterback may like a “softer” ball.

“There are obvious reasons,” said Hugh Tompkins, director of research and development for Baden.

A softer ball allows fingers to depress the leather more easily, for one. Having an under-inflated ball also allows quarterbacks to throw the ball farther, Tompkins explained. When developing the grip for Baden’s footballs, the company’s R&D team found that by adjusting the RPM of a spiral from 5,400 to 7,200, it made a difference of four feet in distance traveled. Thus, a higher spin rate equaled more distance.

Learn more about the advantages of an under-deflated ball here, or watch the video below to see how quickly one can deflate a football with the inflation needle.

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