Patriots' Belichick: I'm 'Shocked' by DeflateGate

The hands-on head coach who scrutinizes obscure rules in the NFL handbook to come up with controversial plays said today at a news conference that he never fully knew the process behind inflating footballs and that he is "shocked" and has "no explanation" for how 11 out of 12 footballs in play during Sunday's AFC Championship game became deflated below league requirements, the New York Post reports. "In my entire coaching career, I have never talked to any player [or] staff member about football air pressure," Bill Belichick said at a news conference this morning, per ESPN.

"I had no knowledge of the various steps involved in the game balls and the process that happened between when they were prepared and went to the officials and went to the game," he continued in his opening statement. "I've learned a lot more about this process in the last three days … than in the last 40 years." In reference to Tom Brady's 2011 assertion that the quarterback prefers his pigskins deflated, Belichick added that Brady has his own 4pm press conference today. The coach also declined to answer any questions from reporters, stating, per ESPN, "I've told you everything I know." (Read his entire opening statement.)