We have finally cracked the top ten in our countdown of memorable moments. This one is a story that just did not want to go away; one word, DeflateGate. By now, you have all heard the story of the New England Patriots allegedly deflating footballs during halftime of the AFC Championship game. The Patriots easily defeated the Colts 45-7, and went on to win Tom Brady’s fourth Super Bowl title.
This story dragged on and on as the league tried to determine how much of a role head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady played. Initially, the league suspended Brady for four games for his role in it. Of course, the story did not end there with Brady announcing that he would appeal the league’s decision. NFL’s Golden Boy won his appeal and did not have to serve a suspension.
You thought it might end there, but come on of course it did not. After the ruling, NFL commission Roger Goodell said the league would appeal that appeal! “We are grateful to Judge Berman for hearing this matter, but respectfully disagree with today’s decision,” Goodell said in a statement. “We will appeal today’s ruling in order to uphold the collectively bargained responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. The commissioner’s responsibility to secure the competitive fairness of our game is a paramount principle, and the league and our 32 clubs will continue to pursue a path to that end.”
Sadly, the league’s appeal will not be heard until next year so this story is still not over yet. The team has moved past the incident and are headed back to the playoffs.
[…] months and is still the first thing that comes to mind when the Patriots’ win is mentioned. DeflateGate accused the Patriots of deflating game footballs during the AFC Championship game against the […]