New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick says “DeflateGate” is a mystery to him

The Pats coach danced around innuendos as he detailed the quality of the team's balls in practice sessions

The Patriots were found to be using 'deflated balls' during their emphatic 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game in Foxborough on Sunday. Eleven of 12 pigskins used in the game by the Pats were found to be under-inflated i.e. slightly below the Psi (pounds per square inch) required by the NFL. Coach Bill Belichick claimed he had no knowledge of any wrong-doing by any members of his staff and could not even hazard a guess as to how the match balls got deflated. Answers to the questions on it at today's press conference included:

I have no explanation for what happened. I was completely unaware, until it was brought to my attention Monday morning. My entire coaching career I have never talked to any player or staff member about air pressure.

While it may seem like an innocuous enough way of cheating, a deflated ball in cold or wet conditions provides more grip for the quarterback and makes it easier for the wide receivers to complete catches. However, Belichick explained that the Pats would never intentionally stoop so low to gain such an advantage. He confessed that he even makes sure the balls used during their training sessions are of an extremely low quality, in order to make it tougher on the players.

My personal coaching philosophy, my mentality has always been to make things as difficult as possible for players in practice. So with regard to footballs, I'm sure that any current or past player of mine will tell you that the balls we practice with are as bad as they can be. Wet, sticky, cold, slippery. However bad we can make 'em, we make 'em. Whenever players complain about the quality of the balls... footballs, I make 'em worse and that stops the complaints. We never use the conditions of the ball as an excuse. we play with whatever or kick with whatever we use and that's the way it is.

Belichick implied that the "Deflate-Gate" debacle served as a bit of a wake-up call and that the franchise would be doing everything in their power to ensure that it never happens again.

We will certainly inflate the football above that low level, to account for any possible change during the game. I have told you everything I know

Although the result landed the Patriots that coveted Super Bowl spot, the overwhelming 38-point margin means the result of the game is unlikely to be overturned. Instead, they could be staring down the barrel of a hefty fine or the loss of a draft pick if skullduggery is proven.