Add underinflated footballs to the list of incidents giving Bill Belichick a reputation for guile and playing above the rules.
Softer footballs wouldn’t explain all of a rout that earned the New England Patriots a spot in the Super Bowl. But it’s another example of Belichick’s reputation of searching for edges and bending any rules until he gets caught.
Vague injury reports. Spygate. Signing players with intel on opponents. And now, an open NFL investigation into whether the team cheated during its AFC championship win.
“Because it’s the Patriots and they have a history, that brings in a different issue,” former All-Pro running back Jerome Bettis said on ESPN. “There’s some type of culture there that’s conducive to cheating and that’s a problem.”
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