The New England Patriots are in the midst of another deep playoff run -- which of course means it's time for some more football pressure-related controversies. According to a report from CBS Boston, the officials for Saturday's Patriots-Chiefs game in Foxborough forgot the special K-balls used for kicking, as well as the air gauges, in their hotel.
The NFL still can’t take care of its balls
The refs for Saturday’s Patriots-Chiefs game left the special kicking balls at their hotel.
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
The balls and gauges were then delivered to Gillette Stadium by Massachusetts State police.
“At approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Massachusetts State police at Logan airport were notified by the Hyatt Hotel on airport property that the officials at Gillette Stadium for that afternoon’s Patriots’ playoff game had left official, specially designated footballs and pressure gauges behind at the hotel,” Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said in a statement to ESPN.
“The hotel had been contacted by the NFL after it realized the equipment had been left behind. State Police contacted an NFL security official at Gillette Stadium. NFL security requested State Police assistance in bringing the footballs and gauges to the stadium.”
According to the statement, the equipment was discovered by a hotel employee, who then drove the bag over to Gillette Stadium with a state trooper. The bag arrived at the field at around 3:30 p.m. ET, about an hour before kickoff.
The Patriots wound up defeating the Chiefs, 27-20. They travel to Denver on Sunday to take on the Broncos in the AFC Championship.
This week is the one-year anniversary of the Patriots' AFC Championship victory over the Colts, the game in which the Patriots were accused of intentionally deflating the balls used by quarterback Tom Brady to an air pressure level below league rules. Brady was initially suspended four games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but that ruling was overturned by a federal court.
In an effort to better understand PSI levels following the DeflateGate scandal, the NFL has been randomly testing the air pressure of footballs at games. The league has yet to decide whether it will disclose those results, according to Pro Football Talk.
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