The NFL has brought in Manhattan attorney Theodore V. Wells Jr. (Ted Wells) to investigate and get to the bottom of the Deflategate controversy.
The Deflategate controversy is getting serious, as if it wasn’t already. The league has tapped Ted Wells to head the investigation into whether the New England Patriots intentionally altered footballs in the AFC title game last week.
Ted Wells time. The NFL has brought him in again to help with the football investigation.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 23, 2015
Previously, Ted Wells helped the NFL investigate the Miami Dolphins in 2013 for allegations of workplace misconduct in the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito scandal. So far the NFL has found that the footballs used by the Patriots were underinflated during the first half of play, despite being examined prior to the game and found to be within the rules. As everyone now knows, a slightly deflated football makes it easier to grip and throw. The AFC title game was played in the cold and driving rain for most of the time.
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Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of any wrongdoing.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL intends to conduct a thorough investigation and examine every piece of evidence, including watching video and conducting interviews to determine whether the balls were intentionally deflated by someone or someones on the Patriots side.
"The NFL said the review was being led by NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash and Mr. Wells, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which has handled a lot of high-profile work for the NFL. The league also said it had hired forensic investigators at Renaissance Associates to assist in reviewing electronic and video information.(via WSJ)"
More than likely the investigation will not conclude until after the Super Bowl and any applicable punishments will be handed down at that point. Of course, if the Patriots happen to win the Super Bowl and are determined to have cheated in the AFC title game, there’s no doubt that there will at least be an unofficial asterisk on their win.
“We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence,” the NFL said.
Meanwhile, Super Bowl XLIX proceeds as scheduled with the Patriots meeting the Seahawks February 1 in Glendale, Arizona. Fans can only hope that the media week coming up has more to do with the game and the (legal) merits of both teams rather than repetitive discussion of Deflategate.
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