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If that were true why the #badword# didn't they weigh the balls in some previous game? It's not like they couldn't notify the officials to weigh the balls again at halftime of any and every single game that was played by the Pats since... well since they've been playing football.  There is no way to hide this as the ball is on the field and all the ref has to do is pick it up and have it checked at the league's direction.  This smacks of verrrrry selective enforcement.  Especially when you have former QBs saying they did this and similar ball alterations all the time and many didn't even know it was a penalty.

To me it is such a big "so what?" that I get annoyed at every mention of it.  It has reached a ridiculous level of consideration and analysis.  Fine them whatever the NFL fined the last team that did this and move on.  Oh wait, they never found any other team to have done this despite numerous admissions to prior tampering?  Then tell them and everyone else "don't do it again, we'll be watching for it, and the penalty in the future will be X, Y, and Z".  Anything else is assinine and discriminatory.