In the news: UIndy weighs in on Deflategate

WTHR reporter Jeremy Brilliant talks with UIndy student-athletes Tyler Walden and Connor Barthel about allegations of football tampering in the NFL. (WTHR image)

With the shocking news (ahem) that the New England Patriots might have cheated in last Sunday’s hideous rout of the Indianapolis Colts, journalists scrambled to bring some perspective to the issue. Naturally, they found it at the University of Indianapolis — and the nation is listening.

WTHR caught the Greyhound football team in weight training and persuaded junior quarterback Connor Barthel and freshman wide receiver Tyler Walden to participate in an experiment, tossing two footballs around in the Athletics & Recreation Center to see if they could tell which one was deflated, Pats-style, by 2 pounds per square inch. They could tell quite easily, the teammates agreed, and could see possible advantages.

To close the segment, head coach Bob Bartolomeo laid down some wisdom: “We play within the rules, and I think that’s real important, because you’re teaching integrity and doing things the right way for these kids.”

The Channel 13 story by reporter Jeremy Brilliant spread quickly across the Web and around the country, airing on stations in Michigan, Iowa, Maine, Texas and elsewhere. You can watch it here at NBCnews.com.

For an even heavier angle, WISH-TV turned to Dr. Jonathan Evans, associate professor and chair of UIndy’s Department of Philosophy & Religion.

Does cheating in professional sports have broader implications for society and for the human spirit? You bet, said Dr. Evans.

“This is an opportunity to reflect and to ask, ‘Am I willing to do something that disrespects other people in order to get what I want?'” he told reporter Howard Monroe. “That’s a tough question. That’s not just a Bill Belichik question. I think that’s an everybody question.”

Watch that report here, via WLFI in Lafayette.