Columnist Who Broke 'DeflateGate' Explains Himself: 'It's Not Sour Grapes'

Bob Kravitz is just reporting the news, and he wants you to know that.

Kravitz — the Indianapolis columnist who broke the story of the NFL investigating the New England Patriots for possibly deflating footballs in their 45-7 AFC Championship win over the Colts — wrote an article on WTHR.com Monday explaining his thought process in the whole ordeal.

“The possible deflation of the footballs in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game had nothing, zero, zilch to do with the outcome,” Kravitz wrote. “You know it. I know it. The Colts themselves know it.

“But it’s not sour grapes. It’s not an Indy-based writer attempting to explain the butt-whipping the Patriots administered to the Colts. It’s not any of those things. Not even close.”

Kravitz explains he was merely reporting what he heard from a source. However, he does go on to say that the fact that the Patriots were the accused team did make a difference.

“Honestly, when I spoke to my source for the story, I originally thought it sounded outlandish, far-fetched,” Kravitz wrote. “And then, like a thunderbolt of enlightenment, it occurred to me: Bill Belichick. Of course. The brilliant, Machiavellian mastermind of the Patriot Empire.”

For Kravitz, Spygate ruined New England’s chances to be innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of fans and the media. What might be a non-story for another team immediately becomes a controversy for the Patriots.

“What happened Sunday had nothing to do with the inflation of the football,” Kravitz wrote. “The Patriots would have smoked the Colts with a beach ball, a hockey puck or a badminton shuttlecock.

“Still, the Patriots do not get the benefit of the doubt here. They have a history when it comes to ‘integrity of the game’ issues. And now, there’s some reason to believe history is repeating. Stay tuned. It’s might just get weirder. Or, well, it might all go away.”