Many people have been talking about the deflated footballs scandal of the Patriots vs. Colts AFC Championship game, which the Patriots went on to win 44-7. The controversy came to light after a Colts ball boy noticed that some of the balls the Colts were using on offense were clearly under-inflated and sent it up the chain of command. It was discovered that 11 out of 12 footballs used in the game were under-inflated. The NFL has launched a full investigation to determine how, and if, the balls were deflated by the Patriots. 

Before accusations are made that the game was flawed and the Colts should have won, it should be noted that Colts tight end, Dwayne Allen, said, “They could have played with soap for balls and still beaten us. Simply the better team.” With three rushing touchdowns, one can argue that regular balls might not have made any difference in the outcome. Yet, incidents like this tarnish the reputations of champions like head coach, Bill Belichick, and quarterback, Tom Brady. Since this is not golf, defining when rules are broken can be a fuzzy line. Superstar athletes have always done whatever they could to get an edge on the competition. The NFL has to define the line that cannot be crossed, or take more precautions to make sure something like this does not happen, again.

If the Pats are found guilty of directly altering the footballs, what would the punishment entail? Since this situation is relatively new, there are not any definite consequences. So I asked some football fans to see what they would think should happen if the Patriots did get caught. 

New England fan, Sergio De La, Torre said, “If found guilty, the NFL should take the standard procedures and fine the Patriots the appropriate amount. Any consequence more than that would be unethical and be an effect of the media blowing this scenario way out of proportion.” 

Diehard Seahawks fan, Josh Preisig, had a different response. ”The Patriots will experience their karma for the cheating by losing to the Seahawks in the Superbowl. The ‘Hawks will act as the NFL’s judicial system and bring down the hammer on this group of white collar cheaters.” 

There is no doubt that the footballs in the Superbowl will be checked twice, and then checked again, before the game. This whole scandal is likely to end with a simple fine to the Patriots, with no proof of direct alteration of the footballs. But this does raise some flags for the future, and will increase the measures taken to ensure this will not happen again.