mornelithe on 24 January 2015
Here's an intriguing alternate theory, that very well could be a legit grey area. What if the Patriots purposefully use warmer air in the ball? Or purposefully inflate the ball in a warmer room? The point here is the rule itself dictates PSI at the time of handing it to the Ref, but there's absolutely nothing in the rules discussing air temperature. This would not only be nearly impossible to prove, but it would also be technically w/in the rules, due to the balls being at the proper PSI at gametime, over the course of the game, the internal temp would drop and with it the PSI.
