Is this Deflategate Part II or just a malfunction with a football? During a pre-season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, controversy stirred. Questions about an underinflated football was talked about among fans online after the preseason opener. Sideline radio reporter Howard Eskin tweeted that he saw a ball looking "very deflated" after an incompletion thrown by Pittsburgh rookie Mason Rudolph.
RELATED: BEN ROETHLISBERGER LEAVES STEELERS PRACTICE EARLY WITH APPARENT INJURY
The NFL quickly squashed any talk of Deflategate II on Friday morning, saying everything was handled as it should have been and that the ball merely was “defective.”
A report by Yahoo! Sports, the NFL released a statement saying the ball in question was 'defective.'
“All footballs were in compliance with NFL rules following the pregame inspection process and all proper procedures were followed. In the third quarter, a football that was found to be defective was removed from play and will be sent back to Wilson for review.”
Even Eskin came to the conclusion of this incident of deflated balls as not the only case in this pre-season.
Of course, who can't forget about “Deflategate” and all the shenanigans and clown cars that came with it? The Deflategate saga started with the discovery of a possibly-temperament-with the footballs from a 2015 AFC Championship game. The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts squared off to see who represent the AFC. The Patriots crushed the Colts 45-7. Ted Wells, an American attorney issued a 243-page document about the findings.
NFL concluded that the Patriots used deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game. The result would cost the team two draft picks and a $1 million fine. Quarterback Tom Brady was also suspended for four games.
The saga prompted the NFL to change how it handles footballs before and during games.