Bears’ Justin Jones revives Deflategate saga, accusing Patriots of tampering with footballs

Chicago Bears defensive lineman Justin Jones revived the dormant Deflategate scandal by accusing the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick of tampering with footballs in violation of league rules.

Ahead of Monday’s showdown between the Bears and Patriots in Foxborough, Jones told WGN Radio’s Mark Carman that he’s heard New England is ‘still’ deflating footballs, adding that he plans to check in this week’s game.

When asked by Carman what he thinks about when he hears Belichick’s name, the 26-year-old Jones did not hesitate to say, ‘Deflategate.’

Chicago Bears defensive lineman Justin Jones (pictured) revived the dormant Deflategate scandal by accusing the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick of tampering with footballs in violation of league rules

The ‘Deflategate’ scandal refers to the accusation that the Patriots illegally deflated the footballs used in the 2015 AFC championship game. Quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games, and the team was fined $1 million and docked a first- and fourth-round draft pick. Both Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick (left) denied any improper behavior 

An Arizona Cardinals fan wearing a deflated football hat hold up a sign referencing Deflategate during the team’s NFL game against the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. New England won 23-21

‘I heard it’s still going on, so I’m gonna check them things before we go,’ Jones told Carman, who appeared to abandon journalistic objectivity while emphatically agreeing with the Bears’ lineman.

‘I’m so serious,’ Jones continued, saying he was looking for ‘deflated balls.’

‘We play this game with honesty.’

Jones said he will try to press a game ball into the turf at Gillette Stadium on Monday to see if it’s up to code.

Patriots spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

NFL game balls are required by rule to have air pressure between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI).

The ‘Deflategate’ scandal refers to the accusation that the Patriots illegally deflated the footballs used in the 2014 AFC championship game, which was played in January of 2015. Quarterback Tom Brady was ultimately suspended four games in 2016, and the team was fined $1 million and docked a first- and fourth-round draft pick.

However, academics have insisted that the NFL failed to prove its case against Brady, who may have actually been exonerated by the data.

‘I am convinced that there was no illegal deflation of the Patriots’ footballs at the 2014 AFC Championship Game,’ MIT mechanical engineering professor and self-professed Philadelphia Eagles fan Dr. John L. Leonard wrote in for Sports Illustrated in 2016.

New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media on January 22, 2015 on issues surrounding under-inflated footballs used during the AFC Championship Game

The debate centers around the use of two different gauges to judge footballs’ air pressure during that 2014 game, although the league insists the discrepancy between the two did not impact the Wells report detailing the NFL investigation findings. Furthermore, according to Leonard, environmental factors such as air temperature could have also impacted the air pressure in the balls.

‘In my opinion, the league’s experts should publish a correction,’ Leonard wrote in SI.

Although the game took place in 2014, the scandal did not erupt until ESPN reported the accusations in 2015, and Brady wasn’t punished until the following year, due to a lengthy legal battle between the league and the union.

Fans were naturally split on Deflategate depending on their rooting interests, with Patriots fans accusing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell of railroading Brady. Meanwhile, Patriots haters felt as though the most dominant team of the 21st century was once again guilty of cheating following the 2007 Spygate scandal, in which they were found to be recording the New York Jets coaches’ hand signals on the sideline. 

Umpire Carl Paganelli #124 holds a ball on the field after a play during the 2015 AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2015 in Foxborough