Changes

===="Deflategate"====

===="Deflategate"====

Another controversial incident involved the purported direction of quarterback [[Tom Brady]] to have his footballs inflated below the league minimum standard.  The incident came to light during the 2015 AFC Championship Game.  The official rules of the National Football League require footballs to be inflated to a [[Pressure measurement|gauge pressure]] between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (psi) or 86 to 93 [[Pascal (unit)|kPa]], when measured by the game officials. The rules do not specify the temperature at which such measurement is to be made.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Playing Rules of the National Football League – Rule 2-1|url=http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|date=October 25, 2013|access-date=January 26, 2015}}</ref> Per the [[Gay-Lussac's law#Pressure-temperature law|pressure-temperature law]] (also known as Charles's Law), there is a positive correlation between the temperature and pressure of a gas with a fixed volume and mass. Thus, if a football was inflated to the minimum pressure of 12.5 psi at room temperature (indoors), while the ambient temperature outdoors during play was cold and decreasing (the game was played in Foxboro at night, with starting game-time temperatures at 51 °F and rain) the pressure would drop below the minimum as the gases inside cooled to a colder ambient temperature on the playing field.

Another controversial incident involved the purported direction of quarterback [[Tom Brady]] to have his footballs inflated below the league minimum standard.  The incident came to light during the 2015 AFC Championship Game.  The official rules of the National Football League require footballs to be inflated to a [[Pressure measurement|gauge pressure]] between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (psi) or 86 to 93 [[Pascal (unit)|kPa]], when measured by the game officials.

 

However, the rules do not specify where or at what temperature such measurement is to be made.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Playing Rules of the National Football League – Rule 2-1|url=http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|date=October 25, 2013|access-date=January 26, 2015}}</ref> Per the [[Gay-Lussac's law#Pressure-temperature law|pressure-temperature law]] (also known as Charles's Law), there is a positive correlation between the temperature and pressure of a gas with a fixed volume and mass. Thus, if a football was inflated to the minimum pressure of 12.5 psi indoors (where temperatures are relatively warm), while the outdoor ambient temperature was cold and decreasing (the game was played in Foxboro at night, with starting game-time temperatures at 51 °F and rain) the pressure would drop below the minimum as the gases inside cooled to a colder ambient temperature on the playing field.

The team was fined $1M and deprived of two draft picks for its scam and its quarterback, [[Tom Brady]], was suspended for four games.  The entire controversy has sparked debate from both sides, some claiming that the actions were meant to punish owner Kraft, who is a Republican supporter and Jewish.

The team was fined $1M and deprived of two draft picks for its scam and its quarterback, [[Tom Brady]], was suspended for four games.  The entire controversy has sparked debate from both sides, some claiming that the actions were meant to punish owner Kraft, who is a Republican supporter and Jewish.