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Yonkers' Brandon Coleman Weighs In On 'Deflategate'

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Brandon Coleman of Yonkers, who is a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School and was the quarterback for the Crusaders in their CHSFL AAA Championship season, talks about the recent NFL scandal of deflated footballs being used during the New England Patriots' AFC Championship game.

Brandon Coleman of Yonkers is a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School.

Brandon Coleman of Yonkers is a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Up until last week, millions of Americans were not aware of the rules of how much air pressure should be in NFL game-time footballs. Today, however, that is all NFL fans and analysts are talking about -- and the New England Patriots are at the epicenter of the storm.

According to NFL regulations, each team is allowed a dozen footballs for each game played, and each of the balls is inspected two hours and 15 minutes prior to kickoff. The referees will check the balls for any discrepancies and “certify” that they are good for play. This process happens for every game on almost every playing field from high school to the NFL, and it was no different for the Pats vs. Colts AFC Championship game. So what went wrong? Who is to blame?

For one thing, Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady has been taking a lot of the heat for the accusations placed on the team. Fans around the league have expressed their disapproval of the Patriots’ antics, being that this is not the first time they have been in the spotlight for not following the league’s rules.

Using a deflated ball is against the rules of the NFL due to the fact that it is said to give offenses an unfair advantage. When using a ball without the regulated amount of air, quarterbacks are able to palm it better, allowing them to throw the ball farther with more force; therefore, this is something that does not make the playing fields equal.

Although Tom Brady is the man everyone wants to question about the incident, I do not believe he is completely at fault. The organization as a whole and those who issue the balls to the referee prior to each series should be called to answer for this dilemma.

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