Deflategate will never die. The Pittsburgh Steelers were accused of tampering with footballs, with the New York Giants alerting the NFL that the Steelers deflated balls during a Week 13 game, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.
Deflategate 2? @jayglazer explains that the #Giants alerted the NFL on #Steelers deflated footballs last week. https://t.co/jcebCVMxMN
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 11, 2016
Per Glazer, the Giants tested two footballs after Steelers turnovers and found that both had been deflated. Pittsburgh denies the claims and says that there was no wrongdoing in the team’s 24-14 victory.
The NFL quickly responded to Glazer’s report, saying no formal complaint was filed by the Giants:
Our statement re Fox report: pic.twitter.com/wdUj2dbDeF
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) December 11, 2016
The first Deflategate saga began with accusations from the Indianapolis Colts that the New England Patriots used deflated footballs during the AFC Championship with later accusations implicating quarterback Tom Brady. It devolved into a news story that dominated NFL headlines for all of 2015 and the first half of 2016 before Brady finally served a four-game suspension.
It was a painful process for fans and the NFL alike, and it’s safe to say that Roger Goodell doesn’t want to botch the situation again like he undoubtedly did the first time around.