In the wake of the “Deflategate” scandal, the NFL reportedly plans to change the way footballs are prepared before games.
The AP reported Saturday that a source says the issue will be discussed at the NFL team owners’ meetings in San Francisco next week. Any changes in ball-handling and preparation guidelines would not require owners’ approval and could be implemented in time for next season.
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The league has come under criticism in some circles for the procedures that allowed each team to prepare their own footballs for games. Those guidelines came to light following the AFC Championship game, in which the Patriots were accused of under-inflating footballs to help quarterback Tom Brady get a better grip for passing.
An investigation eventually determined that the Patriots had used under-inflated balls in their 45-7 victory over the Colts, and that Brady likely knew. Brady has been suspended four games at the start of the 2015 season for his role in the incident. The NFL fined the Patriots $1 million and took the team's first-round draft pick in 2016 and its fourth-round pick in 2017. Brady has appealed his suspension through the NFL Players Association. Also, the Patriots indefinitely suspended equipment staff employees John Jastremski and James McNally, effective May 6.
No further details were available on what new ball-handling guidelines might entail, but they would presumably involve more oversight from the league. Ironically, it was Brady, along with fellow quarterback Peyton Manning, who lobbied the NFL in 2006 for a rule change that allowed each team to prepare the balls for its own offense, a guideline some blamed for enabling the illegal activity in Deflategate.