Ted Wells, one of the NFL’s lead investigators in the case of the underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game, said Monday that “no one should draw any conclusions” and the investigation is expected to last several more weeks.
Wells’ statement came after Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported Monday that NFL investigators are focused on a New England Patriots locker room attendant.
Led by league executive Jeff Pash and Wells, the NFL is trying to determine how 11 of 12 balls used by the Patriots against the Indianapolis Colts were found to be underinflated at halftime of the AFC title game.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have said they do not know why the balls were underinflated, although Belichick on Saturday said a study by his staff determined that “atmospheric conditions” likely were to blame.
The footballs were re-inflated to proper pressure at halftime, and the Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0 in the second half as they won 45-7 and advanced to the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., where they will play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
According to Glazer’s report, the attendant allegedly took balls from the officials’ locker room to another area on the way to field before the game.
The league’s investigators have interviewed the attendant and have video, Glazer’s sources said, and the league is trying to determine whether the attendant did anything wrong.
Wells, who oversaw the 2013 investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal, released a statement Monday, saying: “We are following customary investigative procedures and no one should draw any conclusions about the sequence of interviews or any other steps, all of which are part of the process of doing a thorough and fair investigation. I expect the investigation to take at least several more weeks.”
—New England quarterback Tom Brady said he likely will talk to NFL investigators regarding the underinflated footballs controversy after the Super Bowl.
“I believe they’re going to do after the season, so we’ll deal with it after this game,” Brady told ESPN’s Chris Berman on Sunday.
During a radio interview Monday, Brady was asked whether he has ever told an equipment manager or ball boy to deflate the football after the officials’ pregame inspection.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “No, I didn’t. And I haven’t. And I never will. I think that’s obviously how I feel and the kind of person that I am.
“No one knows the facts. I pick 24 balls; that’s what I pick. Whatever happened after I did it, and whatever the situation was where they measured them, I have no idea any of those facts. So I try to stay really humble and deal with the facts that I know. When you don’t know something, that’s all you can say is, ‘I don’t know.’ I know that’s not always the answer that people want to hear, but that’s the reality.”
—New England cornerback Brandon Browner, a former Seattle corner, called for his teammates to target injured Seattle defensive backs Richard Sherman (sprained elbow) and Earl Thomas (dislocated shoulder).
“I’m going to tell my teammates, ‘Go hit that elbow, go hit that shoulder,”‘ Browner said in an interview with ESPN. “Hit it, yeah. Try to break it if you can.
“You’re gonna be my best friend after the game,” he said of his former Seattle teammates, “but at the end of the day I know you want the Super Bowl just as bad as I do.”
Former teammates said Monday they didn’t think Browner’s comments were meant exactly as they came off.
Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said, “If somebody knows you’re weak in an area, they’re going to try to exploit it. I don’t think he meant it in a malicious way. … It’s just all competing. It’s just a competitive nature.”
— The Denver Broncos agreed to terms with Rick Dennison to be their offensive coordinator and also announced the hiring of linebackers coach Reggie Herring and offensive line coach Clancy Barone.
Dennison is a 20-year NFL coaching veteran with 15 years of experience with the Broncos, including three seasons (2006-08) as Denver’s offensive coordinator.
Dennison spent four years (2010-13) as new coach Gary Kubiak’s offensive coordinator in Houston before being hired in Baltimore last season to coach quarterbacks.
Herring has nine years of coaching experience in the NFL, and spent last season as the Chicago Bears’ linebackers coach.
Barone has spent the past six seasons with the Broncos, including overseeing the tight ends from 2011 to 2014.
— The Buffalo Bills announced the hiring of six coaches to Rex Ryan’s staff: Michael Hamlin (special teams quality control), Aaron Kromer (offensive line), Sanjay Lal (wide receivers), Anthony Lynn (assistant head coach/running backs), D’Anton Lynn (defensive assistant) and Chris Palmer (senior offensive assistant).
The Bills also announced that Kurt Anderson (assistant offensive line), Donnie Henderson (defensive backs), Jason Rebrovich (outside linebackers) and Jason Vrable (offensive quality control) will be retained.
—Charles Woodson will return for his 18th NFL season. The Oakland Raiders re-signed the 38-year-old safety to a one-year deal on Monday.
Woodson led the Raiders with a career-high 112 tackles and four interceptions in 2014. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate.
This will be the third straight one-year deal Woodson has signed with the Raiders since returning in 2013. He began his career with them as the fourth overall pick in the 1998 draft. After eight seasons in Oakland, he played seven in Green Bay.
—Raheem Morris accepted a position with the Atlanta Falcons as assistant head coach in charge of defensive backs, according to reports.
Morris has spent the past three years as the secondary coach in Washington but was passed over for the defensive coordinator position when the Redskins hired Joe Barry last week.
NFL Network reported that Morris’ role in Atlanta represents a promotion because of the title, but former Denver Broncos linebackers coach Richard Smith reportedly will become Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.
Although the Falcons have yet to name a new coach, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is expected to replace Mike Smith after the Super Bowl.
—The Chicago Bears hired Jay Rodgers as defensive line coach, a position he held under new coach John Fox while in Denver.
Rodgers spent the last six seasons as an assistant with the Broncos, including the last three as defensive line coach when Fox was coach in Denver.
Rodgers served as a coaching assistant (2009-10) and defensive quality control coach (2011) with the Broncos before being promoted to defensive line coach.
—The Raiders reportedly interviewed Todd Grantham for their open defensive coordinator position on Monday.
Grantham, a longtime defensive assistant in the NFL, spent the 2014 season as the coordinator on Bobby Petrino’s staff at Louisville, where his defense ranked sixth in the nation.
Grantham, 48, was defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2010 to 2013. In the NFL, he has coached with the Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001), Houston Texans (2002-2004), Cleveland Browns (2005-07) and Dallas Cowboys (2008-09).
—The St. Louis Rams will interview Nathaniel Hackett a second time for their offensive coordinator position, according to several reports.
Hackett, who was the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons under Doug Marrone, interviewed with the Rams last Thursday and is expected to interview again Tuesday.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher is seeking to replace Brian Schottenheimer, who left Jan. 7 to become the offensive coordinator at Georgia.
—The Indianapolis Colts and running backs coach David Walker agreed to part ways after four seasons.
“We’re grateful for David’s contributions to the Colts’ success over the last four years and wish him nothing but the best in the future,” coach Chuck Pagano said in a statement.
The Colts finished 22nd in the NFL in rushing in 2014, averaging 100.8 yards per game.
—The NFL and YouTube announced a partnership on Monday that will deliver content on a new channel.
Through the official NFL channel on YouTube — and video directly viewable for Google Search users — the partnership will enable fans to engage with NFL content on computers, tablets and mobile phones.
The new channel allows viewers to access a seven-day-a-week NFL content programming schedule. Content posted will include game previews, in-game highlights, postgame recaps as well as clips featuring news, analysis, fantasy football advice and other select content from NFL Network and NFL.com.
—The Green Bay Packers signed first-year punter Cody Mandell.
Mandell, a former All-SEC punter at Alabama, was signed by the Dallas Cowboys after the draft last year but did not make an NFL roster.
Packers punter Tim Masthay is signed for two more seasons.
