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 The buildup to the Super Bowl had been dominated by a controversy
over deflated footballs used by the Patriots in a blowout win over
the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game that earned them a trip
to Arizona.
A whiff of scandal continued to hang over Sunday's game even as the
Vince Lombardi Trophy was hoisted and confetti fell from the roof of
the University of Phoenix Stadium still trembling from New England's
heart-stopping win.
"We won that (AFC) game 45-7, we won today 28-24," defended a
defiant Patriots owner Robert Kraft through the celebratory din.
"Our people didn't touch the balls. I love our team, I'm proud of
our guys.
"We’re going to carry on and hopefully continue to do well.
"Every year if you’re privileged to get to this game, hard things
happen. I'm so proud of (Tom) Brady and (coach Bill) Belichick for
handling things the way they did.
"I love them. And all our Patriots fans should feel very good."
As the NFL's investigation into "Deflategate" continues, the
spotlight of suspicion remains firmly fixed on the Patriots with
some fans even questioning why New England was allowed to play in
the Super Bowl at all.
The controversy has dominated the sport headlines for two weeks and
left stains on one of the NFL's most successful franchises and two
possible future Hall of Famers quarterback Brady and coach
Belichick.
In the 20 years since Kraft bought the franchise, the Patriots have
made the playoffs an eyebrow-raising 15 times and played in seven
Super Bowls winning four.
BRADY MILESTONES
A battling Brady spent Sunday rewriting the Super Bowl
quarterbacking record books, setting new marks for single-game
completions (37), most career passing yards (1,605) and career
touchdowns (13) to claim a third most valuable player award.
"It's just a lot of mental toughness, I think the whole team had
it," said Brady when asked how the team was able to deal with the
controversy and focus on the game. "Coach always says, ignore the
noise and control what you can control."
But the Patriots and Belichick, the only coach to take a team to six
Super Bowls, have also developed a reputation as a team not above a
bit of skullduggery.
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In 2007, Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots lost a
first-round draft pick after an investigation found New England had
videotaped an opponent's signals on the sidelines in what became
known as 'Spygate'.
'Deflategate', however is unlikely to take any of the air out of the
Super Bowl party and parade in Boston where the team will return
home to a hero's welcome.
"Congratulations to Patriots and all of Patriot Nation on a well
earned Super Bowl victory. You have made Boston and New England
proud - cue the duck boats!" said Boston mayor Marty Walsh.
He would lay out plans on Monday for a celebratory parade featuring
the city’s signature "duck boats", amphibious vehicles dating back
to World War II.
The game represented a last chance for the NFL to put a
scandal-scarred season behind it, and the Patriots and Seahawks did
their part, providing a game that produced edge-of-the-seat
excitement.
"I'm not really concerned about that (controversy)," said Belichick.
"I've already spoken on that, so I am not going to have anything to
add to it.
"I'm happy for our team. We won. I think our team deserved to win.
"We won tonight in a tough game. I don't know what more we need to
do.
"This team deserves to be champions."
(Additional reporter by Scott Malone in Boston. Editing by Amlan
Chakraborty)
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