In 2015, the New England Patriots were accused of deflating air from the footballs used during the AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts. This controversy was named “Deflategate”. The NFL found that all 11 footballs used by the Patriots had been deflated and Coach Bill Belichick denied knowing about the footballs. Five months after the game, quarterback Tom Brady had been “suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL policy on the integrity of the game.” The team was fined $1 million and was forced to forfeit a first-round draft pick in 2016, and a fourth-round draft pick in 2017. Tom Brady attempted to appeal his four-game suspension, and after three different court appearances, his suspension was nullified. The league then decided to appeal the ruling and after many months, Brady announced on Facebook that he has “made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process” and accepted his four-game suspension.

This crisis is known as a sudden crisis. It wasn’t a long-standing concern that became a crisis, nor was it a negative issue that had been going on for a long time. When the report first came out, New England fans were furious at ESPN for broadcasting news stories that painted a bad picture for the Patriots. The New England coaches and players immediately denied this accusation against the team. The initial media reaction was very strong. In 2015, social media wasn’t nearly as big as it is today so it may seem odd to see that Brady made his announcement on Facebook and not Twitter or Instagram. Many press conferences were held following this incident. Immediately after the reports broke, multiple media outlets called for Bill Belichick and his team to be banned from the Super Bowl. The Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated in a six-minute interview, “Although I might disagree with what is decided, I do have respect for the commissioner and believe that he’s doing what he perceives to be in the best interest of the full 32.” Personally, I believe that was the best statement the owner could have made. He stated that he didn’t agree, but he understood which is a mature way of handling the situation. Did that upset Patriot fans, probably, but you can’t please everyone. I don’t believe the Patriots reacted to this situation poorly, but they should have owned up to what they did from the start. In my opinion, Owner Robert Kraft handled the situation in a more professional manner than Coach Bill Belichick.

And just for fun, here’s a Saturday Night Live parodied skit of the scandal