Updated (3): NFL Checks New England Patriot's Soft Balls, Eli Manning Questions Brady's Obsession With His Balls

Posted January 20, 2015 9:42 PM ET; Last updated January 28, 2015 8:08 PM ET


New York Post Tells It Like It Is

This report from Tampa shows that the quarterbacks preferred altered balls. But they did not have to be the ones doing the altering. Tom Brady at his press conference on Thursday January 22, 2015 said he did not do anything to the balls. But he stopped after he began saying  "I had nothing to do with . . ."

[From article]
Eli Manning, who comes from one of the sport’s most famous families and has played in the NFL for 11 seasons, said he’d never even heard of letting air out of a football — and finds Tom Brady’s preoccupation with his balls odd, to say the least.
“I’ve never worried really much about the inflation or the certain number of pounds of inflation,” Manning said to an audience at the New York Athletic Club last week. “I thought it was kind of strange that Brady knew he liked his ball at 12.5 pounds of pressure in the ball. … That’s the minimum number that you can have, that seemed kind of strange to me. … I’ve never heard about anybody deflating the football to their advantage, it’s the first I’m hearing about it.”

http://nypost.com/2015/01/27/eli-manning-strange-tom-brady-knows-so-much-about-his-balls/

Eli Manning: ‘Strange’ Tom Brady knows so much about his balls
By Howie Kussoy
January 27, 2015 | 12:15pm

* * *

[From article]
The major takeaway of the press conference is that, according to Brady, no one from the NFL has interviewed him. This is simply mindboggling. Because of the way footballs are handled pregame, the quarterback would be the most essential source of information in the event irregularities occur. Brady is thus the first person the NFL should have spoken with if the league really wanted to get to the bottom of what happened.
One now has to be suspicious that the league would rather not know at this point. Why? Because we are just ten days from the Super Bowl and there is very strong evidence of cheating. If the league quickly learns who is responsible, it would have to suspend the cheater(s) from the big game or be mercilessly ridiculed for turning a blind eye. The NFL obviously does not want to suspend star players or coaches from its showcase event.
[. . .]

If the NFL wanted to interview Tom Brady, it would have been done already. Football turns out to be a lot like politics: Officials avoid information because if they learn something bad has been done, they are expected to do something about it.
[. . .]
After the interception before halftime, the Colts sideline informed their general manager, who informed league officials. Based on the complaint, the refs re-examined all 24 balls at halftime. The Colts’ balls were all still within the specs, but 11 of the 12 Pats’ balls were under-inflated by up to two pounds per square inch – i.e., about 10.5 pounds. It was unseasonably mild for Foxboro, Mass., in January – about 51 degrees. Between that and the fact that the Colts’ footballs were unchanged, there seems to be no weather-related explanation for a drop in air pressure in the Pats’ footballs.
There are thus only two apparent possibilities, neither of which is good for the Pats: Either (a) the Pats supplied under-inflated balls and the refs did not competently examine them prior to the game; or (b) the Pats, who had control of their chosen footballs after the pregame examination by the refs, deflated the balls before or during the first-half.
[. . .]
Turns out that it is largely because of Tom Brady that the NFL changed its protocols in order to allow each team to supply game balls for its own use. It used to be that the home teams were responsible for supplying all the game balls. But nine years ago, Brady and Broncos star QB Peyton Manning successfully petitioned the competition committee to change the rules.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/397011/nfl-doesnt-want-know-how-deflate-gate-happened-andrew-c-mccarthy

The NFL Doesn’t Want to Know How Deflate-gate Happened
By Andrew C. McCarthy
January 22, 2015 7:53 PM
* * *

[From article]
"Rich and I talked about it. The footballs needed to be worked in,'' Johnson said. "In years past, you heard Troy Aikman, John Elway and Steve Young complain about the balls being slick. Phil Simms, all of them. And basically we agreed on that if the balls could be - if we could work them in, we'd work them in.''
But neither player had any access to the footballs prior to the game.
"I never saw the footballs, I never touched the footballs,'' Johnson said. "I never got to touch them until game time. The first possession is the first time I touched the ball.''
But leaving nothing to chance, Johnson made sure the balls were scuffed and ready well before the Dixie Chicks sang the national anthem.
Johnson said he paid two ballboys working for the NFL a total of $7,500 to make sure the footballs were scuffed and broken in before the Super Bowl and they obliged. Johnson first revealed the secret payment to the Tampa Bay Times in 2012, just prior to the 10-year reunion of the Bucs' Super Bowl championship team.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/bucs-qb-johnson-paid-to-have-footballs-altered-before-sb-37/2214490

Bucs QB Johnson paid to have footballs scuffed before SB 37
Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 7:45am
* * *

[From article]
The Patriots and their integrity-challenged coach could be in deep trouble with the NFL once more after ESPN reported late Tuesday that 11 footballs confiscated from their 45-7 win over the Colts in the AFC title game last Sunday were found to be underinflated by two pounds of air (PSI) each.
ESPN described league officials as “disappointed, angry and distraught” at the findings.
The bombshell report — which the network attributed to anonymous sources — could mean the second major cheating scandal involving Belichick and the Patriots since Spygate in 2007, when they were caught taping the Jets’ defensive signals and fined $750,000 and docked a draft pick.
[. . .]
In addition, CBS Sports reported late Tuesday the Ravens suspected the special “K-Ball” kicking footballs were underinflated in their loss to the Patriots in Foxborough in the divisional round.

http://nypost.com/2015/01/20/nfl-probe-finds-11-of-12-patriots-footballs-were-under-inflated/

NFL says 11 of 12 Patriots footballs were underinflated: report
By Bart Hubbuch
New York Post
January 20, 2015 | 11:36pm

* * * http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2919111/Interception-caused-Indianapolis-Colts-look-inflated-footballs-AFC-championship-game-against-New-England-Patriots-NFL-says-investigation-underway.html

New England Patriots DID deflate footballs for their win over Colts: 'Eleven of 12 game balls were under inflated'
The NFL has said it is reviewing whether the New England Patriots manipulated footballs during their 45-7 home win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game Sunday night
Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson's interception reportedly caused the Colts to look into what is being called 'Deflategate'
A Colts equipment staff member was handed the ball by Jackson and noticed it seemed under-inflated, according to one report
Both Colts coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson were reportedly notified
Grigson reached out to NFL director of football operations Mike Kensil who spoke to on-field officials, according to the the report
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and ZOE SZATHMARY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 19:23 EST, 20 January 2015 | UPDATED: 09:31 EST, 21 January 2015

* * *

[From article]
Patriots head coach Bill Belichik said he did not know anything about the potential issue until Monday.
"We'll cooperate fully with whatever the league wants us to; whatever questions they have for us, whatever they want us to do," Belichik told reporters.
According to a report on the NFL's website, a ball was taken off the field and out of circulation during New England's 45-7 win over the visiting Colts that clinched a berth in the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.
Using a deflated ball is presumably done to help players increase their grip, which could have been an issue during Sunday's game that was played in rainy conditions.
According to the NFL report, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady dismissed the claims as "ridiculous" during his Monday morning appearance on Boston radio station WEEI-FM.
[. . .]
"I think I've heard it all at this point," said Brady, who threw three touchdowns in the win. "That's the last of my worries. I don't even respond to stuff like this."
The report also said that if the NFL confirms deflated footballs were used by New England to gain an advantage during the game, it could cost the team draft picks.
The Patriots are no stranger to controversy having been heavily fined by the NFL and docked a first-round draft pick in 2008 for videotaping an opposing team's defensive coaches' signals during a game.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/league-probing-patriots-possible-deflated-balls-161734516--nfl.html

League probing Patriots' possible use of deflated balls
Reuters
Frank Pingue
January 19, 2015

Inflation Largest Tax Of All

[From article]
The Weimar Republic in Germany in the 1920s had thousands of printing presses turning out vast amounts of money, which the government could then spend to pay for whatever it wanted to pay for.
[. . .]
A rising demagogue coined the phrase "starving billionaires," because even a billion Deutschmarks was not enough to feed your family. That demagogue was Adolf Hitler, and the public's loss of faith in their
irresponsible government may well have contributed toward his Nazi movement's growth.
[. . .]
Someone who is trying to climb out of poverty by working their way up can easily reach a point where a $10,000 increase in pay can cost them $15,000 in lost benefits that they no longer qualify for. That amounts to a marginal tax rate of 150 percent-- far more than millionaires pay.

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/12/12/taxing_the_poor

Taxing the Poor
Thomas Sowell
December 12, 2012
TownHall.com

Government Economic Figures Very Deceptive, i.e., Fantasies

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dial_if_this_story_makes_your_eyes_mUsVVoUaMuMRt4AK2DlXxJ

Dial 911 if this story makes your eyes bleed
John Crudele
New York Post
Last Updated: 12:34 AM, January 31, 2012
Posted: 11:45 PM, January 30, 2012

Government Lies on Inflation

The figures for ice cream are incomplete. The size of the containers were reduced to 48 ounces from 64 ounces (25 percent), with the raised prices remaining the same. Canned tuna fish is now 5 ounces down from 6 (16 percent) with the same prices. Coffee prices have doubled and tripled in some cases in the past two months with the reduced can sizes of 10.5 to 11.5 ounces down from 16 ounces. Containers of butter products are now 14 to 15 ounces down from 16 ounces. Many products sizes were reduced with the prices remaining the same. That was not included in the deceptive government figures on inflation. Yet with all of these price increases after two years of no increase the SSA gave an increase of 3.6 percent. Hello is anyone paying attention or do they ignore their lying eyes for what Obama says?

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/under-obama-price-gas-has-jumped-83-percent-ground-beef-24-percent-bacon-22-percent

Under Obama, Price of Gas Has Jumped 83 Percent, Ground Beef 24 Percent, Bacon 22 Percent
By Christopher Goins
January 20, 2012

Inflation by Reduced Contents

Rising prices is one aspect of less food for more money. Many basic items have lost net weight while prices remain the same. That is often a greater price increase for food.
The price quoted in the sidebar does not reflect the reduced can size for tuna, 6 ounces to five.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/reeling_in_9O0R4mmAOfbbJ1LDugVBcI

Supermarket prices soar in Manhattan and across the country
By FARRAH WEINSTEIN and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN
New York Post
Last Updated: 11:50 AM, March 13, 2011
Posted: 4:22 AM, March 13, 2011

Inflation by Smaller Packages

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/up_up_away_Xpl2yvoUqBv8wJa61vLiGO

Up, up & away
Consumer prices are on the rise
By PAUL THARP
New York Post
Last Updated: 4:41 AM, October 31, 2010
Posted: 10:23 PM, October 30, 2010

Geithner's Money Printing War

[From article]
"Indeed, a recent survey showed that fewer than one in twenty Americans knew the value of the euro. Politically, it's a lot easier to devalue a currency when the populace doesn't know what it's worth in the first place.

All of this money printing can be wildly inflationary, which is one reason why the voting members of the Federal Reserve have been deeply divided on the question of currency debasement,
[. . .]
Of course, all of this money-printing can go horribly wrong."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/tim_secret_war_FISPJFQLut7Gosdxj1LhRN

Tim's secret war
Geithner eyes a weaker dollar to combat recession
Terry Keenan
New York Post
Last Updated: 4:33 AM, October 25, 2010
Posted: 10:52 PM, October 23, 2010

Post Ignores Increased Costs

Editorial states "inflation has been flat," to justify no cost of living increase for Social Security recipients. (Editorial, "Bam's desperate bribe," New York Post, October 20, 2010) Prices remain the same while product sizes shrink. Ice cream was sold in 64 ounce containers, now they are 48. Toilet paper sheets are one quarter inch smaller. Tuna fish tins are 5 ounces no longer 6. Gasoline prices remain high after summer's end. Four increases in costs (inflation) ignored by the Post.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/bam_desperate_bribe_1NA4yZs2CqQaEQvkrR9t0N

Bam's desperate bribe
Editorial
Mew York Post
Last Updated: 12:07 AM, October 20, 2010
Posted: October 20, 2010

Spending Other People's Money

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2010/07/13/signs_of_the_times/page/full

Thomas Sowell
TownHall.com

Signs of the Times
July 13, 2010

Friedman Predicts the Destruction of the Dollar
(Human Events.com)


The late, great Milton Friedman in his classic book prophetically revealed how Obama's reckless monetary policies will cause hyperinflation and destroy our nation

Everything Barack Obama, the Federal Reserve, and Congress are doing was predicted in startling detail almost two decades ago by a famous Nobel Prize-winning economist.

His name was Milton Friedman.

Though he passed away in 2006, in his prophetic book, Friedman showed how, facing massive deficits, the U.S. government would dramatically increase the money supply; why foreign countries would stop buying our debt; how the Fed would start buying our Treasury bills; and why this would call cause massive inflation.

He even predicted that our officials would claim inflation was no problem at all.

Amazingly all of this is coming to pass!

Make no mistake about it — the Obama administration is embracing massive inflationary deficit spending.

In just a few months, Barrack Obama has more than doubled the U.S. money supply...committed the government to nearly $24 trillion in new spending . . . and warned the American people to expect trillion-dollar deficits for the foreseeable future.

While the media has been falling over itself to praise Obama's "bold initiatives," the question no one has been asking is, "Where is all of this money coming from?"

Decades ago, Milton Friedman answered these questions clearly and precisely in his insightful — and very topical book, Money Mischief: Episodes in Monetary History.

In Money Mischief, Friedman even warned that the coming inflation could "destroy" our country.

Here's what he wrote: "Inflation is a disease, a dangerous and sometimes fatal disease that, if not checked in time, can destroy a society." (Money Mischief, Page 191)

You see the end result of that process in countries like Zimbabwe today, where prices double every day, and it now takes a $10 billion Zimbabwe note to buy a single loaf of bread - assuming you can find one.

Could America suffer the same fate? Friedman wrote ominously, "The Fate of a Country Is Inseparable From the Fate of Its Currency."

Even Warren Buffett recently admitted on CNBC that the only way for the U.S. to solve it's woes was to inflate the currency.

There is little doubt that Obama's massive deficit spending will doom the dollar and our economy.

You need to find out what is really happening to our economy and your wealth and get a copy of Milton Friedman's pathbreaking book, Money Mischief.

Its insights are so relevant and shocking — it reads like it was just published for our times!

Friedman also tells how the U.S. and the West could still avoid hyperinflation, even with unbacked paper currency.