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SPORTSSaturday 12 September
NFL clears Patriots of headset suspicion in opening game
JIMMY GOLEN something sinister is at work “To take away from what
whenever something goes those teams accomplished
AP Sports Writer wrong against the Patriots. ... it’s just not right,” Belich-
After describing the prob- ick said.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. lem with the headsets on The league agreed with
Thursday night, Tomlin told the Patriots — at least in
(AP) — Philadelphia Ea- reporters, “That’s always this case. NFL spokesman
the case.” Michael Signora said in a
gles coach Chip Kelly has “Here?” he was asked. statement late Friday af-
“Yes,” Tomlin said. ternoon that the audio in-
heard air traffic control Patriots coach Bill Belichick terference was “entirely at-
responded on Friday that tributable to an electrical
coming in over the head- “it’s just not right” for oppo- issue made worse by the
nents and their fans to attri- inclement weather.”
sets he uses to communi- bute the team’s success — “It involved no manipula-
six trips to the Super Bowl, tion by any individual,”
cate with his staff. Former and four NFL titles — to dirty he said. “The Patriots had
tricks involving videotap- nothing to do with it.”
Ravens coach Brian Billick ing, deflated footballs and The latest accusations
now headsets. came just as the Patriots
said he once heard a pizza “I think it’s just sad com- were trying to celebrate
mentary and it’s gone to their fourth Super Bowl title
delivery guy. a pretty low level. It’s sunk and change the subject
pretty deep,” Belichick from the deflated footballs
So when the Pittsburgh said, breaking his silence scandal that dominated
on the “Deflategate” scan- the last seven months.
Steelers coaches started dal and an ESPN report Patriots quarterback — and
last week citing 90 sources reigning Super Bowl MVP —
picking up the home radio around the league — many Tom Brady was originally
of them anonymous, and suspended four games in
broadcast on their head- many of them suspicious of connection with the deflat-
the Patriots’ techniques. ed footballs.q
sets, there shouldn’t have
been any cause for suspi- In this photo taken Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, Pittsburgh Steelers
head coach Mike Tomlin, center, talks to head linesman Kent
cion. Payne, right, in the first half of an NFL football game against the
New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.
Except they were at the
Associated Press
home of the twice-con-
victed New England Patri-
ots. “The whole world sees
it,” Cleveland Browns line- to be kidding me.” and a chorus around the
On the night the Super Bowl
backer Karlos Dansby said champions were hoping to NFL complaining that the
turn from “Deflategate” to
on Friday, a day after the their title defense, the Pa- headset technology seems
triots instead found them-
Steelers’ headsets went out selves denying new allega- to fail more often in New
tions of shenanigans from
in the Patriots’ 28-21 victo- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin England.
ry. “Everybody (saw) it last Tomlin’s clenched-jaw
night. You’re like, ‘What? postgame news confer-
The headsets? What?’ ence gave new life to
C’mon, man. You’ve got league-wide suspicion that
