For a little while after the Pittsburgh Steelers first preseason game, it looked like there might be another “Deflategate” scandal taking over the NFL world.
During the third quarter of the Steelers' first preseason game, rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph used a deflated football, and he called it a young quarterback.
“I did,” Rudolph said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I got the snap and the thing was flat to where it would not be an advantage. That was the weirdest thing. They took it out. It was kind of a freaky deal. … It was one of those balls that was in your grandfather’s garage for a few years. It was pretty flat. It was a bad deal.”
The football was taken out of play after the snap, and the NFL opened up an investigation. After the investigation, the NFL announced in a statement that they found no wrongdoing by the Steelers and announced that they would be sending the ball back to Wilson for review, via Pro Football Talk.
“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.”
The NFL could always change their mind after the results come back from Wilson, but for now, it appears the Steelers are out in the clear. The Steelers will play their next preseason game on Thursday against the Green Bay Packers.
Follow Us
Subscribe