FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick said he was as surprised as anyone to hear reports that the footballs his team used during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game did not meet NFL specifications.
“When I came in Monday morning, I was shocked to learn of the news reports about the footballs,” the New England Patriots head coach said in a news conference Thursday morning. “I had no knowledge whatsoever of the situation until Monday morning.”
ESPN reported late Tuesday night that 11 of the 12 balls the Patriots used during the first half of their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated by 2 PSI and thus were against league rules. Those regulations regarding how to legally prepare a football were news to Belichick until this week, he says.
“I’d say I’ve learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew or had talked about in the last 40 years that I’ve coached in this league,” Belichick said. “I had no knowledge of the various steps involved in the game balls and the process that happened between when they were prepared and went to the officials and went to the game, so I’ve learned a lot about that.
“I obviously understand that each team has the opportunity to prepare the balls the way they want and give them to the officials, and the game officials either approve or disapprove the balls. That really was the end of it for me. So, I learned a little more about this the last couple of days.”
New England’s footballs reportedly were properly inspected two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff. Based on this information, some have concluded that the Patriots must have somehow doctored the balls at some point after the official inspection.
Belichick said he’s never discussed football air pressure with any player or staff member.
“To me, the footballs are approved by the league and game officials pregame, and we play with what’s out there,” Belichick said. “And that’s the only way that I have ever thought about that.”
The Patriots switched over to referee-approved backup balls after halftime, per reports.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
