Initial reports claimed this whole “DeflateGate” mess started with a D’Qwell Jackson interception.
According to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, it goes back much further than that.
Glazer reported Wednesday that the Baltimore Ravens tipped off the Indianapolis Colts before the AFC Championship Game about the New England Patriots potentially tampering with their footballs.
In addition, Glazer reported that referees already were planning on inspecting the Patriots’ footballs at halftime before Jackson even alerted the Colts’ sideline about the deflated ball he intercepted.
A report Wednesday afternoon claimed that referees did inspect the Patriots’ 12 game balls and ended up swapping them out with replacement balls after deeming that they weren’t properly inflated. An NFL investigation reportedly revealed that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 balls were under-inflated by at least two pounds per square inch.
If the Ravens did indeed alert the Colts to New England’s alleged ball-deflating, it’d be a rather odd twist. A few Ravens reportedly said they thought the kicking balls used during their AFC divisional round game against the Patriots were slightly deflated, but head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that he had no issue whatsoever with any footballs used in that game.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
