The NFL acted quickly this morning to quell any complaints about the Steelers using a deflated football in their preseason game last night. And it wasn’t the first time.
During the 2016 season, the Giants complained that they tested two Steelers footballs after turnovers, and found that both of them were inflated below the league minimum level. But the NFL quickly released a statement saying there was no issue.
This morning, the NFL did it again, quickly releasing a statement saying that a football used by the Steelers last night came defective from the manufacturer, Wilson, rather than being tampered with by the Steelers.
Of course, Patriots fans will be left asking why the NFL is so quick to move on when there’s a suggestion that the Steelers may have been tampering with footballs. When the Patriots were accused, the NFL spent a fortune on a months-long investigation that resulted in Tom Brady getting suspended and the Patriots getting stripped of two draft picks.
The NFL is unlikely to have an answer to that question that will satisfy the folks in New England. But the league clearly wants this story to go away swiftly.
