Go ahead and add Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio to the list of influential NFL folk who believe the Deflategate scandal involving the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady's alleged use of under-inflated footballs during their AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the subsequent league-mandated investigation and the publishing of the Wells Report, which details lead investigator Ted Wells' findings, and the sanctions handed down by the league and commissioner Roger Goodell thereafter, are all a bit overblown.
"I think it was a little bit overdone, but that's somebody else's problem right now," Del Rio said recently, per Dan Greenspan of the Associated Press.
Del Rio, who likened Deflategate to the NCAA's investigation into running back Reggie Bush which resulted in punishments levied against Del Rio's alma mater, the University of Southern California, said that he believes the NFL and Goodell would have been better served simply warning teams that tampering with the football pre-game would no longer be tolerated.
He also seemed mystified by the reaction of the league when the ever-growing popularity of the sport seems directly linked to the high-flying passing offenses which have replaced the "three yards and a cloud of dust" offensive approach which was so prevalent a few short decades ago.
"Everybody understands that quarterbacks all want to get the balls how they like them, and why not?" Del Rio said. "They throw these balls around, and one of the reasons the sport is so popular is the ability of guys like Peyton (Manning) and Brady to throw the ball the way they do."
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on the other hand, whose team lost to the Pats in Super Bowl XLIX, said that while he didn't believe the Patriots and Brady's actions affected their ability to win another Lombardi Trophy, he is happy the league conducted their investigation.
"Nobody wants to play this game thinking that somebody has some kind of advantage, players and fans alike, and so they did the right thing in following up on it," Carroll said.
