The owner of the team that sparked the #DeflateGate investigation recently talked about the absence of closure in the case. And Colts owner Jim Irsay doesn’t seem to be concerned about the fact that more than three months have passed since G.M. Ryan Grigson complained to the league about the air pressure in the footballs used during the first half of the AFC title game against the Patriots.
“I know that they are still finishing up their investigation, and there’s really nothing new to report,” Irsay told reporters at the third annual Chuckstrong gala on Friday night. “It could be a few days, it could be a month or more. I really don’t know. They’re working to be, again, comprehensive and thorough, and when [Ted] Wells gets done with it, he’ll let us all know.”
Is Irsay surprised it has taken this long to wrap up the investigation?
“You know, probably not really,” Irsay said. “He’s a very thorough investigator, and he’s gonna do what he thinks, sort of in his vacuum, so to speak. He’s not concerned about when he gets the results, how long it takes. He wants to be thorough. So I know he operates that way. So it’s not a shock, but I think everyone has wondered exactly when he’ll come through and let us know what he’s learned.”
Some suspect that a truly thorough investigation might reveal that the Colts took additional air out of the ball that was intercepted by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson during the first half of the game. The NFL previously has declined to comment on whether Ted Wells is exploring that angle. Others currently believe that the NFL has turned the investigation back on itself, hoping to placate Patriots owner Robert Kraft by determining how so many leaks of information that would tend to incriminate his team made their way to the media.
Regardless, it’s been more than a month since Commissioner Roger Goodell said the investigation is “getting near the end.” With the draft less than a week away, it’s starting to feel like the end will arrive on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.
