Patriots locker room attendant tried to put unapproved ball into AFC final

[sukie]

Patriots locker room attendant tried to put unapproved ball into AFC final

A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ne/new-england-patriots) tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month's AFC Championship Game, the same game at the center of the "Deflategate" allegations, four sources familiar with the investigation told "Outside the Lines."

One source said that the attendant assigned to the officials' locker room, identified as 48-year-old Jim McNally, has been interviewed by investigators for Ted Wells, the attorney the NFL hired last month to lead an investigation into allegations the Patriots intentionally used underinflated footballs on offensive plays in the first half of that game against the Indianapolis Colts (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ind/indianapolis-colts), which New England won 45-7.


Before every NFL game, footballs are inspected and measured by NFL officials in their locker room before they can be approved for in-game use. The "K balls" are used for special teams, and not by the offenses of either team.

[+] Enlargehttp://a.espncdn.com/photo/2015/0217/otl_mcnally_d1_300x300.jpg (http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2015/0217/otl_mcnally_d1_600x600.jpg) <CITE>Outside The Lines</CITE>Jim McNally, highlighted in upper left, attempted to give an unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs for the AFC Championship Game.


NFL officials put a special mark or stamp on each ball approved for use on offensive possessions, as well as the "K balls" used on special teams, to ensure only properly inspected and approved footballs are used in that game. Walt Anderson, the referee for the AFC title game, had personally inspected and marked each of the footballs that were approved for use in that game.
The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it, three sources said. One of those sources added that Yette found it surprising that the officials' locker room attendant was on the field, trying to hand him a ball, because officials' locker room attendants don't typically have ballhandling responsibilities during NFL games.

Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL's vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.

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This is Cra2y...

[Goobylal]

The Colts must have told him to do it. :rolleyes:

[CommissarSpartacus]

How fiendishly clever of the Pats!

"Hey, let's get the locker-room guy to run out on the field and give an UN MARKED kicking ball to a part-time ref! They'll NEVER notice in a millions years!"

[sukie]

I think it's even more clever that a 10 buck an hour guy figured out how to help his team...

I can see it know... huge Pats fan... working official locker room duty since 2008 ... no action.... this rpobably wore on the guy still regretting never putting his extensive physics background to good use.

While taking a dump... "If I deflate the balls just enough so it might fall into what could be termed gas law (fart) natural fluxuation... then MY pats will find the balls easier to grip... less bounce off receivers hands.. (groan fart fart slight tinkle) This will work!!! It's physics!"

Of course he forgot the special K Balls... the hulking guy HAD to break protocol and sneak on the field and try a bit of swictheroo... GO PATS!

[Goobylal]

Those darn rogue attendants!

[Joe Fo Sho]

Another accusation of cheating? That's so weird.

[Ingtar33]

well the patsy has been id'ed publicly, which means the nfl is prepping the media to shift blame off BB and Brady and onto the hourly employee.

[sukie]

That will be a hard sell... Some guy decides to hand Tom Brady underinflated balls this one game and Tom doesn't notice?

[Night Train]

In 10 years, we'll find out this guy magically has a villa in Geneva.

[Goobylal]

That will be a hard sell... Some guy decides to hand Tom Brady underinflated balls this one game and Tom doesn't notice?
Come now. Tommy can't tell the difference...but he likes the balls at 12.5 PSI.

[trapezeus]

well the patsy has been id'ed publicly, which means the nfl is prepping the media to shift blame off BB and Brady and onto the hourly employee.

you kind of have to with the cheaters "winning" the superbowl. to give them a black eye in the investigation puts a whole season into doubt. though it already has been. Roger delivered the profits and he delivered the chaos. i think they should double his 44 to 88.

[Meathead]

jeez cold they be any more transparent

like it matters this one time what mcnally did. could be a bunch of explanations including simple mistake. doesnt even address the magic change in anti-fumblitis every cheatriot catches when they play there ever since the exact year they changed the rules the way marcia wanted them

total smokescreen. a hilariously flimsy smokescreen

[Bill Cody]

this was a ball the guy tried to get into the kicking rotation not for the offense. The ref noticed the ball was not marked. Why did he do it? I don't know. You wouldn't want an underinflated kicking ball unless it was the other team kicking. But this isn't about the 12 game balls. They have an extra 6-8 kicking balls for each game. I have no idea why the league keeps leaking tid bits like this.

[Skooby]

Sounds like feelings are going to be hurt but they'll all end up blaming some useless underling.

[Bill Cody]

Sounds like feelings are going to be hurt but they'll all end up blaming some useless underling.

Again this has nothing to do with deflated balls in the game. Nothing. a) it was a ball intended to be put into the kicking ball rotation b) it was not put into the rotation after the ref noticed it wasn't an approved ball

[Historian]

Sounds like feelings are going to be hurt but they'll all end up blaming some useless underling.

Just like the Bush administration!

[Joe Fo Sho]

Again this has nothing to do with deflated balls in the game. Nothing. a) it was a ball intended to be put into the kicking ball rotation b) it was not put into the rotation after the ref noticed it wasn't an approved ball

You're right, this doesn't have anything to do with deflate gate. This is an entirely different cheating event.

What it does show (if true) is that the Patriots are clearly willing to circumvent the rules. It just tells me that they've done this type of thing before and reinforces my feelings toward whether or not they have been cheating for a while now.

[Bill Cody]

You're right, this doesn't have anything to do with deflate gate. This is an entirely different cheating event.

What it does show (if true) is that the Patriots are clearly willing to circumvent the rules. It just tells me that they've done this type of thing before and reinforces my feelings toward whether or not they have been cheating for a while now.

Maybe. It adds to the intrigue that's for sure but you're just speculating. The league seems to be interested in promoting speculation by leaking tantalizing morsels that are interesting but don't really tell us much, can't say why, maybe to keep folks talking about the league, the old "no publicity is bad publicity" theory. All I can say is this report on footballs is the most highly anticipated since the Warren Report. Just a hunch but I'm guessing you're a "grassy knoll" guy right? I have a gut feeling this report is going to leave a lot of folks on this site feeling...deflated.

[sukie]

Sorry... i neglected to include the link...

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/12340408/new-england-patriots-employee-gave-unapproved-ball-official-lines-reports

[Joe Fo Sho]

Maybe. It adds to the intrigue that's for sure but you're just speculating. The league seems to be interested in promoting speculation by leaking tantalizing morsels that are interesting but don't really tell us much, can't say why, maybe to keep folks talking about the league, the old "no publicity is bad publicity" theory. All I can say is this report on footballs is the most highly anticipated since the Warren Report. Just a hunch but I'm guessing you're a "grassy knoll" guy right? I have a gut feeling this report is going to leave a lot of folks on this site feeling...deflated.

A grassy knoll guy? When it comes to the Patriots, I think they're cheaters. I don't know if that makes me a grassy knoll guy or not. I mean, they did get in fined for cheating.

Of course the report is going to leave a lot to be desired for most people. There's almost nothing the NFL can do realistically to please everybody.

[Bill Cody]

A grassy knoll guy? When it comes to the Patriots, I think they're cheaters. I don't know if that makes me a grassy knoll guy or not. I mean, they did get in fined for cheating.

Of course the report is going to leave a lot to be desired for most people. There's almost nothing the NFL can do realistically to please everybody.

Not please everyone? This has been a huge embarrassment of an investigation from the jump. How about not leak one BS report after another? How about complete an investigation into football air pressure in a reasonable time?

[BuffaloRedleg]

you kind of have to with the cheaters "winning" the superbowl. to give them a black eye in the investigation puts a whole season into doubt. though it already has been. Roger delivered the profits and he delivered the chaos. i think they should double his 44 to 88.

Don't tell Shiva/Spartacus.

He's been taken in by the NFL machine and actually believes Robert Kraft and BB are the underdogs in this scenario.

It's a sad state of affairs when even the most tin foil hatted bat **** crazy of us all have been tricked into believing the NFL spin.

He's defended the point too hard at this point to back down, so I guess from an internet ePeen scenario it might be understandable.

[chris66]

http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=12344667
looks like a nfl official gave the k ball to be put in play.

Nfl is looking worse withveach leak

[Mr. Pink]

http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=12344667
looks like a nfl official gave the k ball to be put in play.

Nfl is looking worse withveach leak

As I stated before most people won't care about any of this, they go off the original story as being 100% factual and their hatred for the Pats makes them think that is the truth. Every subsequent story is just spin and PR done by Robert Kraft because he has influence and persuasion over Goodell.

[Let's go buffalo]

I just really can't wait for this thing to go away. Even on a Bills board this subject won't go away

[Joe Fo Sho]

Not please everyone? This has been a huge embarrassment of an investigation from the jump. How about not leak one BS report after another? How about complete an investigation into football air pressure in a reasonable time?

That still won't please everyone.

[Bill Cody]

Don't tell Shiva/Spartacus.

He's been taken in by the NFL machine and actually believes Robert Kraft and BB are the underdogs in this scenario.

It's a sad state of affairs when even the most tin foil hatted bat **** crazy of us all have been tricked into believing the NFL spin.

He's defended the point too hard at this point to back down, so I guess from an internet ePeen scenario it might be understandable.

lol

[CommissarSpartacus]

lol

Yup.

If there's anything we can count on in this world, it's the wisdom of the American majority.

They NEVER get it wrong.

[Strongman]

Don't tell Shiva/Spartacus.

He's been taken in by the NFL machine and actually believes Robert Kraft and BB are the underdogs in this scenario.

It's a sad state of affairs when even the most tin foil hatted bat **** crazy of us all have been tricked into believing the NFL spin.

He's defended the point too hard at this point to back down, so I guess from an internet ePeen scenario it might be understandable.

Most of the spin seems to be originating from the Boston media which then gets picked up by the rest of the media. You can see this by Googling "deflategate" news. To their credit, the Boston media spins things faster than a Dremel rotary tool.

The NFL conducting a sting operation is their latest theory.

[Bill Cody]

Most of the spin seems to be originating from the Boston media which then gets picked up by the rest of the media. You can see this by Googling "deflategate" news. To their credit, the Boston media spins things faster than a Dremel rotary tool.

The NFL conducting a sting operation is their latest theory.

You have to believe one of 2 things: 1) Colts GM Ryan Grigson lied and actually never notified the league of his "suspicions" over NE deflating footballs. If he lied, there is no chance there was a sting. It does however bring Grigson's credibility into serious question. or

2) Colts GM Ryan Grigson told the truth about notifying the league. Now unless you think the league warned the Patriots about the issue and NE still went ahead and deflated footballs knowing they were being watched then yes, the league decided to sting the Pats. It's one or the other, no?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Most of the spin seems to be originating from the Boston media which then gets picked up by the rest of the media. You can see this by Googling "deflategate" news. To their credit, the Boston media spins things faster than a Dremel rotary tool.

The NFL conducting a sting operation is their latest theory.

I guess you could call it a sting. As much as a referee throwing a flag for pass interference is a sting on the cornerback.

[Strongman]

You have to believe one of 2 things: 1) Colts GM Ryan Grigson lied and actually never notified the league of his "suspicions" over NE deflating footballs. If he lied, there is no chance there was a sting. It does however bring Grigson's credibility into serious question. or

2) Colts GM Ryan Grigson told the truth about notifying the league. Now unless you think the league warned the Patriots about the issue and NE still went ahead and deflated footballs knowing they were being watched then yes, the league decided to sting the Pats. It's one or the other, no?

Actually, there are a couple other scenarios that could have occurred. For instance, Grigson notified the league in the days before the game. The league simply decided to go ahead with their typical pregame ball inspection thinking it was sufficient in detecting any under-inflated balls and not make any unwarranted accusations. No under-inflated balls were found and they were approved for play. During the game, a ball is intercepted and given to an alert Colts' equipment manager who notices it feels soft. He then notifies the coach, who notifies the GM, who then notifies the league. All of the game balls are measured at halftime and only the Cheatriots' are found to be under. The NFL is now investigating into why this happened.