The United States was abuzz for three weeks in January 2015 because one of the teams headed to the championship game (Super Bowl XLIX) for the National Football League (NFL) was under investigation by the league for cheating during the AFC Championship Game. During the first half of the game, the Colts raised a question about the inflation of the footballs. Following the game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, a referee for the NFL discovered that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots were underinflated (below \(12.5 \mathrm{psi}\) ). The footballs for the Colts were measured at 12.5 to 13.5 psi. The result of the findings was a scandal now referred to as Deflategate. The issue took many twists and turns throughout the two weeks leading to the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots were victorious in the Super Bowl, but the twists and turns continued because the NFL's investigation was incomplete, as it were, prior to the Super Bowl for 2015.Coach Belichick and many others live in the gray area. One sports analyst phrased it this way, "Rule breaking and bending are two different things. A lot of coaches bend the rules to take creative advantage.".203 Dwelling in the gray area (filming, but only during others' games) puts a team at risk. Whatever benefit the team derives from that activity may be lost over the long term when the sanctions are imposed.

Still, that gray area tempts us. We are not of a mind to break the rules, but we are fine with pushing the envelope a bit. Where is that line? Teams are always looking to find that edge, that something that puts them one up on the competition. For example, the Patriots use an unusual formation in offense-one that involves the use of an unbalanced line that disguises which players are the eligible receivers in the lineup. One commentator said about the Patriots' formation strategy that it is "bend versus break." But another said, "It's legal. But I don't feel good about it."204 Not everyone is clear where the line is, not comfortable with toes to the line or, depending on how you view it, slightly over that line.

What begins as legal often ends up as regulation and whatever advantage is gained from the "bend" is lost. Behaving in a manner that runs contra to the spirit of the law is usually only temporary. For example, NFL players once coated their jerseys with silicone to make them slippery, thereby making them invincible to tackles. The NFL caught on, and alteration of jerseys with substances is now prohibited. Regulation tightens when participants skirt the good faith assumptions of the game or the law. Now in the NFL the officials check players' jerseys before, during, and after the game. \({ }^{205}\)......................

Discussion Questions 1. What significance do you attach to Tom Brady's answer, "I don't believe I cheated"?
2. Evaluate how the legal issues ended up versus the ethical issues that you see and discuss the issue of proof.
3. Is there anything that a credo might have helped with in this situation?