New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says he has “no knowledge” about the deflation of the footballs. “In my entire coaching career, I have never talked to any player or staff member about football air pressure,” he said in an opening statement at a news conference yesterday. Belichick added that he had “no knowledge of this situation until Monday morning.” The morning after the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. Soon after the win, Bob Kravitz of Indiana’s WTHR TV tweeted: “A league source tells me the NFL is investigating the possibility the Patriots deflated footballs Sunday night.” Two days after the game, ESPN quoted an anonymous source within the NFL stating that 11 of the 12 Patriots’ footballs in the AFC championship game were underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch. The controversy has been dubbed “Ballgate” or “Deflategate,” which NPR’s Chappell pointed out echoes “The infamous ‘Spygate’ episode of 2007, when the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick were found to have videotaped the New York Jets’ signals.” “The spying incident resulted in the NFL stripping the Patriots of a first-round draft pick and fining Belichick.” The Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.