Deflate-gate Poll: More Americans believe NFL than Tom Brady
Deflate-gate isn’t just a story about deflated footballs at the 2015 AFC Championship. No, it’s become a referendum on honesty and faith in New England sports and the NFL itself, and even now, a year after the fact, the truth is inescapable: many more people believe the NFL’s version of events than Tom Brady.
The deflate-gate case dates back to early 2015, when the Patriots were accused of tampering with footballs during their playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. But the allegations and investigation were slipshod at best and incompetent at worst, leading to considerable doubt about whether there even should have been a case to begin with, much less one that cost the Patriots both $1 million in fines and two draft picks. The case has since metamorphosed into a referendum on Brady’s truthfulness in dealing with the NFL’s allegations, and Brady faces a suspension if the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals rules that the quarterback was not entirely forthcoming.
A Yahoo Sports survey conducted in early March indicates that 43 percent of all Americans continue to believe the NFL’s side of the deflate-gate story, with only 17 percent believing Tom Brady and the Patriots. The remaining 40 percent are uncertain who gets, or deserves, the blame.
That 40 percent unsure figure breaks down rather significantly along age lines; virtually half of all millennials (48 percent) not believing either side. Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers were more certain, with only 36 and 38 percent, respectively, expressing doubt about culpability.
These figures demonstrate one reason why the NFL continues to push forward with a hunt that seems quixotic and pointless: nearly half the country openly backs the NFL. Men, in particular, sided with the NFL by a wide margin; 49 percent of all men believed the NFL, versus 38 percent of women.
Of course, New England breaks down rather differently. Tom Brady and the Patriots garner 58 percent of respondents’ sympathy, versus just 19 percent for the NFL.
The survey, conducted by YouGov plc on behalf of Yahoo Sports, surveyed 1,174 American adults between March 4 and March 7, 2016.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
