Weekend DeflateGate Update: Emails, Internet Rumors And Flying Banners
BOSTON (CBS) -- We are at a point of "DeflateGate" where weekend wrap-ups of the news are still necessary. I did these back in February when the story was stupid but nevertheless only alive for a reasonable amount of time. Now we are deeper than six months into this shindig and we should all be thoroughly embarrassed.
So here's a weekend wrap-up for our embarrassed selves.
Patriots Release Emails On Friday Afternoon
The WellsReportContext.com website, which was established shortly after the release of the Wells report back in May, rose from the dead on Friday afternoon. The team released an email chain from February, one in which the Patriots asked multiple times for the NFL to correct false information which had been leaked out by NFL employees.
NFL general counsel Jeff Pash responded by saying the NFL did not believe the leaks came from the league office ... even though the information could literally not have come from anywhere else. Unless the Patriots wanted to leak information that would damage the franchise's image and reputation, only NFL officials and executives knew that information at that point.
The emails expose the NFL for a complete lack of effort or willingness to clear the record of false information. The NFL's explanation -- that correcting the public record would only result in more stories, and that is somehow bad -- was even worse. You have to remember that Chris Mortonsen's "11 of 12 footballs being 2 PSI under the limit" report is the one which thrust the story into the national spotlight. It was Mortensen's report that inspired all three national networks to lead their national newscasts with the Tom Brady is a cheater angle.
"Tonight, caught in a pressure cooker: Is Tom Brady a cheater? ... A football inflation scandal remains bigger than the upcoming Super Bowl ... What now for the football star with the supermodel wife?"
All this (on real newscasts), based on a report which was false. The NFL knew it, and they did nothing to correct it. Now thanks to the emails -- which were given some national legs by Yahoo's Dan Wetzel -- the curtain has been peeled back a bit into just how unfairly the league handled that situation.
(The email release has led to some people missing the point. This is not about the draft picks or the fine or even Brady's suspension at this point. This is Robert Kraft's first step to letting Roger Goodell know that the gloves are off, and the former power duo is never getting back together. Like, ever.)
Reddit Users Spot Mike Kensil Missing From NFL Operations Website, NFL Quickly Corrects Information
Mike Kensil has been at the center of the saga from day one. He was at Gillette Stadium the night of the AFC Championship Game, he was in the officials' locker room at halftime for the PSI measurement, and he was reportedly on the sideline yelling "You are in big f------ trouble" at the Patriots' equipment manager.
CSNNE's Tom E. Curran has been hot on the Kensil trail since January, and last week John Dennis reported that Kensil was Mortensen's source for that false 2 PSI story.
So, a Reddit thread popped up over the weekend, saying that Kensil's name had been removed from the official NFL website. Kensil, the vice president of game operations, is most certainly not listed on that website, so the story was rather intriguing throughout the day on Sunday.
That was, until NFL spokesmen Greg Aiello and Brian McCarthy corrected this rumor in rapid fashion. McCarthy emailed Pro Football Talk, saying, "He was never on that page in the first place. Aiello told Yahoo's Charles Robinson that Kensil's job status "hasn't changed."
The league spokesmen corrected this false rumor within a few hours. It's been 194 days since Mortensen's report (which is still live on ESPN.com), and the league has yet to say anything about it.
NFL Supervisor Of Officials Says Footballs Naturally Leak Air
Gary Slaughter is the central region supervisor of officials, line of scrimmage supervisor, and a 12-year NFL official. He spoke to the media on Friday to discuss rule changes and whatnot, but he also commented on air pressure inside footballs.
"These are man-made products," Slaughter said, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "There is a bladder and a valve. We have all checked them for many years. Sometimes when you check the ball in the locker room right out of the box, there could be a problem. They could have a slow leak, and you wouldn't even know it at the time."
That sound you just heard was Roger Goodell sprinting to a telephone, dialing Slaughter's number and saying "Sssshhhhhhhhh!"
Somebody Flew A Banner Behind A Plane In Maine
You know how last week when the Patriots opened up training camp, some Jets fan paid to fly a banner that said "Cheaters Look Up!" above the practice field? Well, a Patriots fan apparently was inspired by this method of communication, because he flew a banner near Roger Goodell's vacation home in Maine.
The banner read, "Comm. Goodell, Jet home to NY."
I personally would have gone with a more coherent statement, but I understand the character crunch inherent to banner message writing. Was Roger even in Maine at the time? I have a lot of questions about this operation.
Tom Brady Played Football
With all of this going on, Tom Brady continues to practice with the Patriots. And though it's just practice, he's been deadly accurate.
The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe has been sitting in the summer sun and tracking stats at these practice sessions, and he has Brady at 84-for-105 thus far. That's an 80 percent completion percentage. On Saturday, Brady was 16-for-17. On Sunday, he was 17-for-23.
He's pretty good. If this is any indication of how sharp his focus is going to be come the regular season (whenever his may actually begin), then that's a frightening proposition for opponents.
Yet there remain some folks who will wear a straight face and tell you that he's only good because he changes the air pressure in footballs. These people never knew anything about PSI measurements in footballs until January. These people are dumb. The debates are dumb. "DeflateGate" is dumb.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
