NFL: Goodell 'Misspoke' In Comments On DeflateGate II

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Roger Goodell recently commented on DeflateGate II, the new football deflation controversy between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, and said that the Giants raised the issue during the game. The problem is, the league had already issued a statement saying that all protocols were followed and "chain of custody" between the footballs was not broken. Did the league somehow determine that before the game was even over?

Well, an email from NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy to Pro Football Talk said that Goodell didn't mean to say "during" the game.

"The Commissioner misspoke regarding the time the club notified the league," the email read. "He meant to say after the game."

As PFT's Mike Florio noted, it's an "important distinction" that the issue was raised after the game and not during the game. Notifying the league after the game meant that the league could no longer test the balls to ensure that the protocols were being properly followed and the chain of custody had not been broken. That was something that could only have been determined with air pressure tests during the game.

Two of the Steelers' footballs were measured outside the league's accepted range, but Goodell rejected those measurements because they weren't made with the league's own pressure gauges. That was something that could have been done during the game, which should have happened if the Giants did indeed tip the league off before the game was over.

Goodell's original comments implied that the league ensured that all of the protocols were followed properly before the game was over. Hence, the league found it necessary to point out Goodell's apparent misspeaking on the matter.

Another day, another disorganized, inconsistent narrative from the NFL league offices.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.