NFL teams
Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Ravens didn't tip off Colts about PSIs

NFL, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots

Coach John Harbaugh refuted a report that he or anyone in the Baltimore Ravens organization tipped off the Indianapolis Colts about the New England Patriots using deflated balls.

According to Fox Sports, the Ravens contacted Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who was an assistant coach for the Ravens for four seasons, to be aware of underinflated footballs before the AFC Championship Game.

"I heard all that; I couldn't believe it when I heard it," Harbaugh said on NBC's Super Bowl pre-game show Sunday. "It's ridiculous, it never happened. I never made any call. Nobody in our organization made any call. As a matter of fact, just to make sure I had all the facts, I called up Chuck Pagano this week and asked him, 'Did anybody else in our organization tip you off about deflated footballs?' and he said, 'No way.' "

Harbaugh said the condition of the football had no effect on the Ravens' 35-31 divisional playoff loss to the Patriots, which occurred a week before the AFC Championship Game.

"It never came up, it never crossed my mind, it wasn't even an issue in the game," Harbaugh said. "I didn't even think about it until I read about it later."

The issue of Deflategate has even reached the president.

"I think that if you break the rules then you break the rules," President Barack Obama told NBC in an interview before Sunday night's Super Bowl.

While Obama said he thinks the inflation of the footballs had no bearing on the outcome of the AFC Championship Game, but said he assumes the league will give referees greater control of game balls "to avoid any of these controversies."

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