We almost had another Deflategate. Then, the football gods kindly spared us.
Over the weekend, NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that the New York Giants walked away from their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month convinced deflated footballs played a role in the game’s outcome. So much so that they tested the footballs on the sideline during the game and supposedly sent their findings to the league office for further review.
“Once we thought our long national nightmare was finally over, it’s actually back,” said Glazer. “Last week, the New York Giants got suspicious of the Pittsburgh Steelers during their game. After two takeaways from the Steelers, the Giants actually tested two of the footballs on the sidelines to see if in fact they were – dare I use the “D” word – deflated.”
However, the NFL quickly squashed the report by releasing the following statement: “The officiating game ball procedures were followed and there were no chain of command issues. All footballs were in compliance and no formal complaint was filed by the Giants with our office.” Still, that didn’t prevent fans and writers on social media from freaking out over the possibility of a second Deflategate hovering over the NFL for what feels like an eternity. Some posted great Simpsons gifs while others pointed out what a lot of New England fans have been feeling all season.
.@nflcommish is really stuck. Either he perpetuates the utter madness of Deflategate or he is exposed as bias against the Patriots.
— Erik Frenz (@ErikFrenz) December 11, 2016
Even Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger commentated on Glazer’s report.
Roethlisberger on Deflategate 2: “We used Nerf balls.”
— Chris Bradford (@BCTBradford) December 11, 2016
Big Ben’s hilarious, but for the sake of football, let’s just hope this really is the end of Deflategate Part 2. With the ratings crisis the league has been dealing with this season, another ball conspiracy is the last thing it needs.
