The NFL is trying to pull the plug on DeflateGate II before the hash tag is applied to it.
In response to the report from Jay Glazer of FOX that the Giants complained about a pair of Pittsburgh footballs being under 12.5 PSI during last Sunday’s game between the two teams, the NFL has issued a statement that actually doesn’t state much of anything.
“The official game ball procedures were followed and there were no chain of command issues,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said on Twitter. “All footballs were in compliance and no formal complaint was filed by the Giants with our office.”
Of course, the absence of a “formal complaint” doesn’t mean there was no complaint. Glazer reports there was a complaint, and that the Giants are still waiting to hear from the league.
That said, it’s unclear what the Giants really expect. By not raising the issue during the game, the Giants prevented the NFL from catching the Steelers in the act. Surely, the league won’t impose discipline based on measurements made by the Giants of two footballs in the second half of Sunday’s game, especially if those measurements fall within what the Ideal Gas Law would have predicted.
Then again. . . .