According to part of the transcript released on Tuesday from Tom Brady's appeal hearing, the Patriots quarterback insisted he never asked anyone to change the inflation levels of game footballs or alter the game footballs in any way after he had approved them.
During the hearing, which took place on June 23 in New York, Brady described the process by which he likes to have his footballs prepared so that they are ready for game use. He explained that equipment assistant John Jastremski aided in the preparation process, but Brady was adamant that once he had approved the footballs, he didn't want them changed in any way -- something he harped on in a lengthy press conference following the AFC title game.
Here is one excerpt from the transcript where Brady's attorney Jeffrey Kessler asks Brady about the process:
Q. Mr. Brady, did the issue of inflation level ever come up as a factor when you are choosing your balls or deciding upon the balls; is that something you think about at that time?
A. Never.
Q. Okay. Do you discuss the inflation level of the balls with Mr. Jastremski during the process when you are selecting the balls?
A. Never.
New England Patriots
Q. Okay. Now, once you approve the footballs for the game, when is the next time you come into contact with the balls?
A. On the field.
Q. During your whole career now, I want to be very clear about this, I am asking during your whole career, have you ever asked anyone from the Patriots to alter the footballs in any way after you've approved them?
A. No.
Q. Okay. Now, have you ever specifically, so again, very specific question, have you ever told anyone on the Patriots after you've given to them that they should change the inflation level of the footballs after you approved them or do anything about the inflation level after you approved them?
A. No.
Q. Now, what would be your reaction if Mr. Jastremski or anyone else in the Patriots was doing something to the footballs after you've approved it? How would you feel about that?
A. I would disapprove of that.
Q. Why? Why would it matter to you?
A. Because I go through, like I said, this extensive process to pick out the balls for the game, and that's the ball ultimately that I want on the field that I play with. So once I pick the ball out, then I don't want anything other than that ball to be the one that I am on the field playing with.
Generally, Brady explained, Jastremski's ball-preparation process includes sandpaper, dirt and a leather conditioner that he got from one of his coaches at the University of Michigan. Brady also said that leather receiving gloves will be used to get the tack off the receiver gloves onto the football. Brady all said he'll sand down small bumps on particular footballs.
"Sometimes if the ball is too nubby, I like to sand down the nubs," Brady said. "I don't like it when there's no nub because then there's no traction on the ball. So you want your hand to be able to grip the ball, but you don't want it so flat that you can't."
The game that Brady said informed him to the specifics of air pressure in footballs was the Patriots regular-season game against the Jets at Gillette Stadium last season. Brady hated the footballs during the game, and after the game, Jastremski found the footballs from that game to be inflated to 16 psi.
Because they believed that there would be inclement weather in Foxboro for that game, Brady and Jastremski opted to use a different football-preparation process.
"There was really, we basically prepared them one way up until that particular game," Brady said. "We played in a game late, not in 2014, but in 2013. It may have been the last game of the year. We played the Buffalo Bills and there was a torrential downpour and we used a lot of the Lexol leather conditioner on the ball. And John, not knowing that, what he does always before the game with the Lexol, and it turns out that when the Lexol is exposed to the -- to the wet weather, the ball gets very oily and it makes it nearly impossible to grip.
"So when we went into that particular Jet game, there was going to be inclement weather and I -- we came to I think a mutual decision. And he said, believe me, we are going to use a lot of these old footballs that are from training camp which, I don't know, four or five weeks, six weeks ago that we would never typically use in a game because they don't have any Lexol on them. But they are already broken in so that when the water hits the ball, the water will absorb into the ball and it will create, you know, enough tackiness with just the water that you will be able to grip it when you throw it.
"So I was a little hesitant, but I went with it. You know, I felt the balls before the game. I said all right, you know, let's go for it. And then I got on the field and hated it."
Expecting rainy weather again in the AFC title game, Brady and Jastremski knew they didn't want to use Lexol, but they tried another prep method.
"So knowing that I didn't want to go back and use two-month balls in this AFC Championship Game like we did for the original Jets game, I think on Friday we found out the weather was going to be inclement. And we decided to break in brand-new footballs with, like, 36 hours to go before the game because I didn't want any Lexol on the balls. And I didn't want to do the same thing that happened in the Jets game.
"So we kind of referred back to an old process that the previous quipment manager who was responsible for the preparation of the game balls did, which was like I said, that really extensive manual throwing, gloving process that makes up for a lot of the Lexol. What you gain from the Lexol, kind of the weeks of breaking the ball in, that kind of, you can get through those. So I asked John to make up 12 brand new balls without putting any Lexol on them."