|
PHOENIX -- Indianapolis Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said it wasn't him who raised the concerns about New England's footballs being underinflated during Sunday's AFC Championship Game. After Thursday's Pro Bowl practice at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, Jackson said he couldn't tell whether the ball he intercepted in the second quarter of a 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots was or wasn't deflated below the threshold allowed by the NFL. "I'm a linebacker, I'm a defensive guy," Jackson said. "If anybody recognized anything it definitely wouldn't come from me."  After picking off Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with about 9:21 left in the first half, Jackson said he gave the ball to the Colts' equipment staff to save for him as a "souvenir." He didn't know what happened to the football after that and said it's still "beyond" him as to what the chain of events were. Asked how the football got to NFL officials, Jackson said, "That's a question that I can't answer." "I don't know how it got to this point," he said. "Somehow I'm in the middle of it." On Thursday, both Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick said they were innocent of tampering with any of the footballs Jackson, who didn't have an interception in the regular season, said he didn't think the ball allegedly being underinflated helped him catch Brady's pass. "In my opinion, I thought I have pretty good hands," he said. "But I don't know one way or the other whether a deflated ball or inflated ball would help that matter." Jackson said he didn't find out about the allegations levied against New England until he landed back in Indianapolis and his driver filled him in on the news. Then he started getting tweets and texts, including one from his agent, about the balls. He called the fallout "comical." Jackson's hasn't been accused of or identified as the person that flagged the intercepted ball to go under league review. Newsday reported earlier this week that a Colts' equipment staffer, after receiving the ball from Jackson and noticing it was underinflated, started the chain of events that led to the NFL's probe. On Thursday, Jackson said he was confident the NFL will get the issue corrected. He didn't feel it was his place to suggest what kind of punishment -- if any -- the NFL should give the Patriots if it's discovered they knowingly deflated their footballs below the 12.5 pounds-per-square-inch regulation. "Me, personally, being a defensive player, I don't know the advantages or disadvantages of having the ball not inflated, deflated," Jackson said. "I have no idea. I'll let the NFL deal with that. That's why they're there, to make those hard decisions." Jackson still hasn't received the ball as a keepsake and he doubts he'll ever see it again. "I'm going to do my best to get a hold of it," Jackson said. Jackson said the Colts' coaching staff didn't alert the defense to keep an eye out for underinflated footballs, adding he had more important concerns heading into Sunday, such as making sure the defense was lined up properly. He said the last thing he was worried about was the football's air pressure. Colts safety Mike Adams declined to discuss "Deflategate" after Thursday's practice. "I'm not going to even touch that subject," he said, before warning Colts cornerback Vontae Davis not to talk about it either. Pro Bowl quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Andy Dalton both said they don't have a preference when it comes to footballs' air pressure. "The way that we've done them in Cincinnati, I'm sure they're the normal pressure and that's how I like them," Dalton said. Stafford said he throws the footballs as the Detroit equipment staff prepares them. "They pump it up, put it in the game and I throw it," he said. Asked whether a football is easier to throw if it has less air pressure, both quarterbacks said it's a personal preference. "I don't know if you can say it is easier or harder. I think people like the ball the way they like it. Apparently Aaron Rodgers likes a beach ball," Stafford said with a laugh referring to the Green Bay quarterback stating he doesn't want a maximum for how much footballs should be inflated. Stafford was then asked jokingly if Rodgers could throw a beach ball as well as he does a football. "Yeah, he could," Stafford said. "He would probably spin it pretty good."
|
