Tom Brady says he ‘didn’t alter football in any way’

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not take much blame for “Deflate-gate” at his Thursday afternoon press conference, saying that he would “never do anything to break the rules.”

“I didn’t alter the balls in any way,” a somber Brady said. “I didn’t put one thought [into the football being deflated]. There was no inkling or concern of mine that [the balls] were any different … Once I’m out on the field I’m not thinking of how the football feels.”

Brady and head coach Bill Belichick each spent an entire press conference apiece expressing a lack of knowledge as to how 11 of 12 footballs were deflated to illegal levels at halftime of the AFC title game.

“I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday. I had no knowledge until Monday morning,” Belichick said. “I’d say I’ve learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew, or had talked about it, in the last 40 years.”

Brady, who said he didn’t notice the difference when he took the field for the second half Sunday with a 17-7 lead, echoed the same sentiment.

“The main thing is trying to figure out what happened,” Brady said. “I was as surprised as anybody when I found out Monday morning what was happening.”

NFL quarterbacks select which approved footballs they desire to use hours prior to a game. Brady claims the ones he chose were inflated to NFL regulations. What happened afterwards is still anyone’s guess.

Brady addressed his comments from 2011 when he said he prefers a football that is not fully inflated.

“12.5 (PSI) is a perfect grip for a football,” Brady said.