41 percent believe New England Patriots cheated
By Ryan Lehrman
About 41 percent of voters surveyed believe the New England Patriots deflated their footballs during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The New England Patriots must be listening to a lot of Run the Jewels lately because lie, cheat, steal are widely considered the go-tos in their playbook.
About 41 percent of voters surveyed in a Public Policy Polling poll believe the Patriots cheated during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Of the majority that considers themselves football fans, 50 percent think New England cheated while 28 percent believe they did not, and the rest are unsure.
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The Patriots are under a league-sanctioned investigation after 11 of the team’s 12 balls were found under-inflated by two pounds of air pressure during the first half.
As the fumes of the scandal have yet to be extinguished before Sunday’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the widespread loss of faith in the Pats means America will be rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, according to the poll.
Another tally for the West Coast.
Quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick have denied the accusations in two separate interviews, but simply put, few are buying it.
And it’s not just laypeople or die-hard fans. Professional quarterbacks near and far are putting in their two cents on the conversation as well. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton “guarantees” Brady knew about the under-inflated footballs.
“Today, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, all those guys, I guarantee they make sure those footballs are exactly how they want them,” Tarkenton told Minneapolis’ Star Tribune.
Three-time Super Bowl champ Troy Aikman said “[i]t’s obvious” that Brady knew about it.
While Tarkenton said deflated footballs are easier to throw, easier to catch and harder to fumble, many argue whether the QB knew about it or not, a deflated football is a non-issue.
Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows the scandal reflects the second cheating ordeal that’s chased the Patriots to the Super Bowl. In 2007, coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for spying on an opponent’s defensive signals in a videotaping controversy dubbed “Spygate.”
Interestingly, Republicans are more likely to let the Patriots off the hook than Democrats, according to the poll.
Cheating hasn’t been enough to dip the Patriots’ rating to the bottom of the pack – the Dallas Cowboys are still the most hated team in the NFL.
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