161821 Obviously I'd much rather be up here talking about the Seahawks and preparing for the super bowl, which we've been trying to do for the last few days, but you know, coach Belichick addressed it with you guys this morning and I wanted to give you guys the opportunity to ask questions that you want. I'll do my best to provide the answers that, you know, I have, if any. And we'll go from there.
1853 Q: When and how did you alter the balls, Tom? When and how did you supposedly alter the balls?
1856 I didn't, you know, have any, you know, I didn't alter the ball in any way. I have a process that I go through before every game, where I go in and I pick the balls that I want to -- footballs that I want to use for the game. Our equipment guys do a great job of breaking the balls in, you know, they have a process that they go through. When I pick those footballs out, at that point, you know, to me, they're perfect.
1925 I don't want anyone touching the balls after that. I don't want anyone rubbing them, you know, putting any air in them, taking any air out. To me, those balls are perfect and that's what I expect when I show up on the field. So, you know, that happened, obviously, on Sunday night, the same process that I always go through I didn't think anything of it, you know, obviously, I woke up Monday morning and answered a question on the radio about it and that was, you know, the first I really heard of it.
2000 Q: This has raised a lot of uncomfortable conversations for people around this country who view you, three-time super bowl champion, a two-time MVP, as their idol. The question they're asking themselves is, what's up with our hero. So, can you answer right now, the Tom Brady a cheater?
2015 I don't believe so. I mean, I feel like I've always played within the rules. I would never do anything to break the rules. I believe in fair play and I respect the league and, you know, everything that they're doing to try to create a very competitive playing field for all the NFL teams. It's a very competitive league. You know, every team is, you know, trying to do the best they can to win every week. I believe in fair play and always believe in that.
2045 Q: Did the coach know about this process at all, and after he spoke earlier, everybody said he kind of threw you under the bus. Did you feel like he just put you in front of it?
2053 No, I think everyone is trying to figure out what happened. That's the main thing over the last couple days, trying to figure out, you know, what happened. Like I said, I was as surprised as anybody when I heard Monday morning what was happening.
2109 That's -- I think over the last few day, people have been trying to figure out, as the NFL is trying to figure out, you know, what part of the process and, you know, from when I saw the ball, which was five hours before halftime, you know, what exactly happened?
2127 Q: Do all NFL quarterbacks doctor the ball? Do you feel you've done anything differently than anybody nels the league?
2132 I'm not sure. I can only speak for myself. I think there's a process that everybody goes through breaking in footballs. Probably a lot like a baseball Mitt when you're a kid. I try to explain that to my friends a lot. When you use and that’s your equipment, you know, a football is something that I handle on every play, I want to be very familiar with the equipment that I'm using, just like my cleats, just like my helmet.
2156 Just like my, you know, my pads. You know, you go there that process of breaking the balls in and getting comfortable with them. Of course, I choose the balls that I want to use for the game and that's what I expect to go out on the playing field with.
2213 Q: How important is it to you to get this out of the way and take this head on, that your teammates and the rest of you can get focused on the super bowl?
2021 Well, you know, that's where the importance is, as far as I'm concerned. I know, you know, this is a very important thing and that's why I'm here addressing it. I know my teammates, you know, we've accomplished something really special getting to this point, you know
2236 I don't like the fact that this has taken away from some of the accomplishment of, you know, what we've achieved as a team. And I think, you know, hopefully our best is still to come, so -- we're going to work as hard as we can over the next ten days to put ourselves, you know, in great position to be prepared for the game.
2259 Q: Would you know the difference, Tom, between an underinflated ball to an overinflated ball. And the balls in the first half, did you notice a difference in the balls that you were actually using in the second half? Would it make a difference?
2311 I didn't -- from the first half to the second half, I didn't think twice about it. I didn't put one thought into the football at that point. You know, once I approved the balls, that's the ball I expect out there on the field, so -- it wasn't even a thought, inkling of a concern of mine that, you know, they were any different. I just assumed that they were exactly the same, first half, second half.
2336 Q: Tom, what do you say to the skeptics who say, look, the patriots have had violations before. How can we possibly believe what Brady and the coach are saying now?
2345 Well, everybody has, you know, an opinion. I think everybody has, you know, the right to believe whatever they want. I don't ever cast judgment on someone's belief system and if that's what they feel like they want to do, I don't have a problem with it.
2359 I think part of being in this position and putting yourself under a spot like this being -- open for criticism, I they are very much a part of being a professional athlete, so -- you know, we can only express to you what our side is and how we approach it and then everyone is going to make --
2419 Q: A follow-up. Are you comfortable within yourself that nobody on Sunday on the patriots side did anything wrong?
2425 I have no knowledge of anything. I have no knowledge of any wrongdoing --
2430 Q: Nobody did anything wrong?
2431 Yeah, I'm very comfortable saying that. I'm very comfortable saying nobody did it, as far as I know. I don’t know anything. I understand that, you know, was in the locker room preparing for a game. I don't know what happened over the course of the process with the footballs. I was preparing for my own job and doing what I needed to do.
2451 Q: Tom, three, four years ago, Tom, you said you liked the ball deflated. You were quoted saying you like throwing a deflated ball, you actually joked about Gronk spiking it because it oozes out a little bit of air. You like a softer ball. Explain that comment in context of what we’re talking about here.
2509 Yeah, I know, I remember, you know, I obviously read that I said that. You know, I like them at the way that I like them which is at 12.5. To me, that's a perfect grip for the football. So, I mean, I think that particular term, you know, deflated, or inflated, whatever norm you're using, you can probably use. I would never do anything outside of the -- the rules of play. I would never, you know, have someone do something that I thought was outside --
2539 Q: You never knowingly played with a football that was under 12.5 pounds of pressure?
2543 No.
2545 Q: Are you trying to find out why the balls, in the last three days, why the balls were so underinflated? Obviously it's important, the reputation of the Patriots, but have you tried to find out, even though you don’t know, or should you have tried to find why the balls were under inflated?
2602 Well, and it's a great question. I think there's a lot of people that have more information than me, you know. I -- I only know what I have kind of gone through in the process, you know, that I've taken as part of the game. And the postgame.
2618 As well as trying to prepare for the super bowl. So -- you know, yeah, I have questions, too. But there's nobody that I know that can answer the questions that I have. So -- I just have tried my best to focus on what I need to do, to be prepared for Seattle.
2637 Q: You know the look and feel of the football that you like. Do you think there could have been other games where you played with an underinflated football, since that football that you played with is something you prefer?
2646 I don't know. Once I'm out on the field, I'm playing, you know, I have no thought of the football at that point. I'm thinking about the defense, I'm thinking about the execution of the play and what I need to do. I'm not thinking about, you know, how the football feels.
2702 Q: In retrospect are you saying, hey, have I played with an under inflated ball before?
2705 I have no idea. I have no idea. This was the first that I've heard of it, obviously, on Monday morning was the first I heard of it.
2714 Q: If it's found that someone is held accountable, if it’s found that someone did not properly tamper with the balls in some ways, is it important for you and the likes of this team that someone is held accountable?
2727 I'm not the one that imposes those -- accountability, discipline, that's not really my job. Obviously I would like to know what happened, as you all would, too. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get ready to do the best I can to play against the Seahawks, because I can't do anything of what's happened in the past. I have to just go forward with the most awareness as I can going forward and trying to be the best I can be for our team.
2757 Q: Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but how does it make you feel that they're calling you cheaters two weeks to the Super Bowl?
2807 You know, I think a big part of playing here is trying to ignore the outside forces and influences and people that are maybe fans of your team or not fans of your team or fans of yourself or not fans of yourself. And like I said, everybody is entitled to an opinion.
2824 Those opinions rest with those people I think you can just go out and try to be the best person you can be, deal with people with respect, with honesty, with integrity, have a high moral standard, you know, and I've always really tried to exemplify that as an athlete and I'll continue to try to do that.
2843 Q: Will this motivate you guys?
2848 We have a lot of motivation. I'd say we have a lot of motivation as a team. But I think our team's overcome a lot of adversity this year. And I think sometimes in life, the biggest challenges end up being the best things that happen in your life and we've overcome a lot of those this year as a team.
2907 So, you know, we can rally around one another and support one another. You can be the best teammate that you can possibly be and, you know, you can go out and support each other and try to go win a very important game.
2922 Q: Did you address your teammates today and if so, what did you say?
2925 You know, very personal things, you know, with my teammates, so, that's -- it was a very personal comment.
2934 Q: Tom, when you pick out the balls is that before the--
2939 Yeah. It's always the same process. I get here, you know, the playoffs, I got here pretty early before the games and then I go in there and I choose, you know, however many balls are necessary for the game. Sometimes it's 12, 16, 18, 24. This last person game was 24.
2955 And when I felt them, they were perfect. I wouldn't want anyone touching those. I would zip those things up and lock them away until I got out on the field and had the opportunity to play with them and that's what I thought I was doing.
3008 Q: Don’t you find it kind of curious then that those balls [inaudible] they were deflated by--
3016 Absolutely. Absolutely. That was very surprising to me.
3020 Q: Tom, one of your teammates said this is a media thing, just something to talk about. Is that the feeling in the room? Is there a feeling that we're blowing it out of proportion or is it a serious thing?
3036 No, it's very serious. This is a very serious, you know, topic. Obviously the integrity of the sport is very important. Think there's another focus, our opponent, the things we have to try to do to be successful, so, you know, everyone's trying to figure out what happened. But at the same time, you got to prepare for, you know, the Seahawks also.
3101 Q: You laughed this off on the radio and today, you're a lot more somber about this. What happened between Monday and today?
3109 Well, that was -- you know, that was really early in the morning. I got home at 12:00, 1:00 and woke up to do the radio interview and that was -- I was very shocked to hear it, so I almost laughed it off, thinking it wasn't -- you know, it was more sour grapes than anything. And it ended up -- it ended up being a very serious thing, when you start learning the things that were --
3132 Q: From the start of the second half was delayed, that the balls were swapped out. Coach says he knows nothing about it, which you have to take him at his word, but the game was delayed. How did you guys not know what was going on the field? With respect to the balls and that there was obviously an issue with the balls?
3150 I don't think anybody knew there was an issue with the balls. I think they said the balls are not ready for play and then I turned around in the huddle and the ball was ready for play, so, I didn't think anything of it.
3201 Q: Nobody said anything to you, Tom, on the sideline? It was a good minute delay between the start of the -- when you came on the field, got ready, got lined up, and then before you had the first snap, it was a good minute delay. Nobody said anything?
3217 I wasn't paying attention to what was happening at that time. I mean, everything was happening, obviously, so fast in the middle of the game. I was thinking about the series, to go out there and, you know, the execution of the game.
3232 Q: The official did not say --
3234 No.
3238 Q: You don't feel like you had an unfair advantage over the colts?
3241I feel like we won the game fair and square, so -- we ended up, you know, playing a great opponent and I thought our team went out and played a great game offensively, defensively, special teams. It was a great accomplishment to reach the AFC championship, to win the AFC championship and then to have the opportunity to play in the super bowl, so -- that was a great feeling after the game. Obviously the next few days and hearing, you knoll, the football issue has, you know, taken away from a little bit of that, but hopefully we'll rally around one another to bring it back to the task at hand which is to try to go out and, you know, be the best we can be.
3326 Q: Is this a moment where you just pause and say, whether it was by design, or just accidental, is this just a moment to say I'm sorry? To the fans of the NFL and to the fans of Tom Brady?
3336 Well, I think it's disappointing that a situation like this, you know, happened. Obviously I'd love to be up here talking about a very joyful mood. Two best weeks of the year, if you happen to be one of the two teams still playing, so -- it's a great, you know, it should be a great two weeks. I'm obviously very disappointed that we have to be having a press conference like this. I wish I could give you more answers or the answers you guys were looking for, but I don't have some of those answers.
3406 Q: Fans that are watching, what do you say to the fans of the patriots?
3412 I’m not sure. What would you like me to say? I'm not quite sure.
3415 Q: You say whatever you like. You're the guy.
3420 Q: Is league's possibility to button this up to everybody can move on?
3424 I think they'll do however they see fit. You know, I think that's up to their, you know, responsibility to do whatever they want to do. That's kind of usually what happens anyway. So, like I said, it's -- I know they're doing their investigation. You know, and that's -- I'm sure -- I don't know what will happen after that.
3447 Q: [ Inaudible ]
3451 No, I think we're preparing for the super bowl. I think this is obviously something we're having to address, but at the same time, I think we're focused on trying to go out and beat the Seahawks.
3505 Q: Did you talk to the investigators. Did the investigators and the league talk to you?
3511 Not yet.
3516 Q: You said earlier that first it seemed lighter and then you became convinced that it was more serious. What was it that convinced you of the seriousness?
3523 Well, I wasn't, obviously, aware, Monday morning of everything that had happened. So, just as I learned more, you understand that there's more than what I initially --
3536 Q: What's most serious about it to you? What’s the biggest problem?
3541 Just the integrity of the game. I think that's a very important issue be mindful as an athlete. I think we set a great example for the younger kids, the
college kids, the high school kids. We want to be the ones to set the great example.
3558 Q: Are you frustrated by this process? Are you surprised by the process? What the story has become and what you hope the end result is, going forward?
3610 I'm not sure -- I'm not sure if I have a hope. I haven't, you know, put much thought into that. It's been just a short period of time. I would really love to go out there and play a great game. Obviously the NFL would love to figure out what happened in this situation. You know, and I try to keep everything in perspective, so, I'm happy that we have opportunity to play in the next game and, you know, obviously I'm disappointed by, you know, the footballs of last game, but I can't do anything about what happened. I can only try to -- you know, I can really only do something going forward.
3649 Q: They haven't talked to you yet? The league hasn't talked to you yet to get your side of the story?
3655 No, but they may. They may. I think that's- I think that's obviously their choice.
3701 Q: Tom, do you find that odd, though? If they wanted, like Tom said, to put this behind us and get ready for the super bowl, they would have contacted you?
3708 Sure, yeah, they might.
3713 Q: It's odd that they haven't, at this point. You're the quarterback and you're the center of this story right now and the league, officials, investigating, haven't talked to you. That indicates to a lot of people that they are letting this drag on, twist in the wind.
3729 I'm not sure.
3730 Q: Have you been told if they will talk to you?
3732 I'm not sure.
3733 Q: Tom, there are people who are going to hear this and said, you are so familiar with the equipment, how could you not know that the balls were under inflated. What would you say to them?
3743 Well, I addressed that earlier in that I don't put any thought into the footballs after I choose them. You know, when you're out there playing, you know, in front of 70,000 people, like a home crowd, you don't think about it. You're just reacting to the game. I don't -- certainly don't think about the football. I just assume that it's the same one that I approved in the pregame.
3811 Q: Were any of those footballs the ones you use in practice?
3814 We break them in in practice, certainly, sometimes. We definitely do that. You know, it's different from game to game. I mean, some days one ball may feel good, the next day it may not. It depends on maybe how -- I don't know, the humidity in the air or whether -- how old the ball was or -- I think there's a lot of variables with, obviously, mother nature and with the balls, so -- whatever feels good that day, those are the ones that I typically choose.
3842 Q: So, those are the same ones that maybe Bill squirts a little water on, but you’re not looking in practice?
3847 Yeah, he does that a lot, but -- it could be, yeah. Definitely.
3856 Q: You definitely look at these balls when you pick them. You didn’t want them to be touched. You didn't notice that 15% of the air was out of a ball when you started the game? It's a little hard to believe. At no point, it didn't strike you during the first half that the ball --
3916 Yeah, Ron, I would -- I didn't feel any different, obviously. I would just assume it was the same thing. Like I said, once I get the ball, I'm dropping back and reading the coverage and throwing the ball and I'm not -- you know -
3931 Q: Professional athletes can tell you, basketball players can tell you if the rim is six inches off, they can tell you by taking two shots. Baseball, you pick up a bat, an ounce of difference. You make your living with footballs. 15% of the ball is deflated and I didn’t even notice.
3951 I wouldn't know on a particular play, I mean, it was a very wet, cold, windy night. Like I said, it's --
4001 Q: But D'Qwell Jackson knew.
4004 I don't know. I mean, I don't do that, Ron. I get the snap, I drop back, I throw the ball, I grip it and I try to throw the ball. That's the extent of the, you know, me touching the football, so -- I don't sit there and, you know, try to squeeze it and determine that, if that's what the colts want to do, that's what they want to do.
4025 I don't -- you know, that was what their decision was, but -- I certainly didn't. Certainly, I didn't -- no, I did not recognize that. I did not feel a difference between the first half or the second half, when supposedly they were inflated to the, you know, original, even more inflated, I didn't notice any difference. I -- you know, I didn't -- obviously think there was anything different between halves.
4052 Q: When you initially tested balls and they met your approval, do you think you would have noticed if the balls were under inflated at that time?
4058 Yeah but I’m not, it’s a challenging thing. I'm not squeezing the balls, I'm not -- that's not part of my process. I grab it, I feel the lace, I feel the leather, I feel the tack on the ball, you know, that's really what you go for. It's not like -- it's not like I had ever squeezed the football. I just grip the football. I think there's maybe a little bit of a difference in, you know, how I do that.
4129 Q: Tom, you had better Numbers after that happened, when the exchange happened. You went 9 for 9 in the third quarter after the supposedly under inflated balls were taken care of.
4137 Yeah, like I said, I didn't think -- I didn't think any differently in the second half as I did in the first half. I know we had a great second half. It was due to great execution bill a lot of, you know, great football players. So, like I said, obviously, with what they said, they put -- they inflated them and -- I didn't notice a difference. I wish I could tell you something different. I just didn't notice a difference.
4214 Q: Bill said that possibly a future fix could be to inflate the balls a little bit more so if they deflate during the course of the game, it won't go under that bottom level. Will that take any adjustment for you, if 12.5 is what you like?
4226 I don't think that would make much of a difference. If, you know, like I said, I didn't Feely difference between what was 13 pound football or 11 pound football the other night, so -- it's irrelevant to me.
4244 Q: You were instrumental in making the league change the rule. Would you help lobby the league to change the rules surrounding this situation?
4258 What situation, what process would that be? Breaking in our own balls?
4303 Q: Making sure the balls are the proper weight --
4306 Yeah, if they want to do that, I have no problem. I certainly wouldn't want them to take away us breaking the balls in. I think that's a great thing for all the quarterbacks to have the balls in play that they want to use. You know, everybody has a preference. Some guys like them round and some guys like them thin, some guys like them tacky, some guys like them brand new, some guys like old balls. They're all different. It's leather, and it's all -- every batch comes, they're different, so, you got to feel them and you try to go out and you try to use the ones that you like the best. The ones that you, you know, use in practice, you want to go out there and try to, you know, have the most possible consistency you can to go in the game with.
4348 Q: Some of the balls underweight, will you say, let's change the rules. Let's make sure I'm never touching a ball that I believe is the proper weight.
4358 I would love for them to be -- I think that's the perfect fit for me. I know there's other quarterbacks that may prefer more than that, but that's what works for me. It's all a very individual, very individual thing.
4417 Q: Tom, do you think the refs might have missed that? Is it possible the refs missed that and they didn't catch it?
4420 You know, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I don't know what happened. I mean, I -- I have no explanation for it. I don't know what happened between the time that I touched it and, you know, really until Monday morning, I have no idea what happened with the balls.
4438 Q: Who handles the ball after the ref hands them back over to the team?
4442 I have no idea. That's not part of my process.
4444 Q: Ball boy? Equipment manager?
4446 I have no idea. I'm preparing if the game. I would never be a part of that. The quarterbacks always will throw the balls and, if we like a ball, then we throw it aside.
4506 Q: Tom, just to confirm, the NFL has not talked to you --
4510 As of this morning -- I'm not sure. I'd say that. I'm not sure. They may or may not have. I'm supposed to, you know, talk to my agent after and that may be one of the things that he wants to talk about.
Q: Have you seen them onsite at all?
4526 No.
4529 Q: Have you gotten any opinions or thoughts about what's going on with deflate gate and the patriots?
4540 I've had a lot of great support from, you know, a lot of people, and I think in a situation like this, it's really -- it's a very -- like I said, sometimes some of the toughest things you deal with end up being the best things, because you realize the people that you can rely on that love you and support you through, you know, something like this, so -- it's a -- you know, I appreciate all their support. I tell them I'm okay, you know, it's -- you know, things are going to be fine. This isn't Isis, this isn't, you know, no one's dying. But you know, we'll get through this and hopefully we can really start preparing for Seattle and, you know, get our mind focused there, because they're going to take, you know, all my mental energy for the next ten days.
4624 Q: Do you think this has gotten blown out of proportion for absolutely no reason?
4630 I think the integrity of the game is very important. Yeah. Integrity of the game is very important.
4642 Q: Tom, do you think personally, anyone from the equipment staff to ask them if they did anything with the footballs?
4648 Yeah, you know, they haven't and I believe them and they also know how I like the balls and I tell them how great they are before the game and how, you know, perfect job, great job. So, they -- you know, they know how I like it and that's exactly the way they are.
Q: inaudible
4743 Well, who's ever opinion -- you know, everybody can have an opinion, Ron, and I think whatever opinions people have, I mean, that's okay by me. I think I put myself in this position where I can stand up here and deal with that. I know what I go through on a daily basis. I know the process that I take. I also know what's in my control and what's out of my control. So, I think a lot of my whole life has been about focusing on the things that are in my control and trying to do the best with that opportunity and the best I can with it. If I don't know something, I don't know something. I don't know what to say other than that. I’ll just know the process that I go through and I'm very comfortable with it and -- you know, hopefully we can, you know, go forward and play a great game in -- a week from Sunday.
4831 Q: Tom, when you left the field on Sunday, go home Sunday night, is this the last thing you ever think you'd be talking about the Thursday before?
4840 Yeah, absolutely, I mean, I had no -- yeah. Yeah. Thanks, guys. I think they said that's it about ten minutes ago, so, thank you guys.
