The NFL’s investigation into how 11 of 12 New England Patriot footballs were under-inflated during the first half of this year’s AFC championship game just got a little bit more elaborate.
12 footballs in the bathroom… for science!
Will Femia, web producer for The Rachel Maddow Show, assists Rachel Maddow in a science experiment to determine whether it’s possible to deflate 11 footballs by two psi in a bathroom in 90 seconds.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has previously alluded to “atmospheric” conditions likely causing the under-inflation. Meanwhile, Fox Sports and NBC Sports have cited unnamed sources who claim that an unidentified attendant who took 24 game balls into a bathroom before the game is being eyed as a person of interest in the scandal. NBC News has not confirmed these reports. However, msnbc’s Rachel Maddow attempted to show on Tuesday whether it was possible to under-inflate 11 footballs in under two minutes – a staff member from her program was able to take air out of eight balls.
NFL rules require that footballs’ pressure stay within a certain range of pounds per square inch. It’s widely believed by football players and experts that an under-inflated ball is easier to grip and catch, especially in adverse weather conditions. The Patriots’ blowout victory over the Colts in the AFC championship took place during persistent rain.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft has stood by his team and in a blistering statement Monday said he would demand an apology from the league if their currently ongoing investigation clears them of any wrongdoing. “I want to make it clear that I believe unconditionally that the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process or in violation of NFL rules,” Kraft said.
Still, William Zajc, a scientist from Columbia’s physics department who confirmed the NFL’s overture to the Times, is skeptical.
“I think it’s more likely than not that [the footballs] were manipulated,” he said.