Watch CBS News

Step Aside NFL—Sacramento Girl's Science Project Solves Deflategate Controversy

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The New England Patriots are getting support in Sacramento from a 9-year-old girl's school science project.

The Deflategate controversy left the New England Patriots defending themselves against allegations they cheated by intentionally deflating footballs.

Sienna Keigwin is a fourth-grader who knows the science of a spiral, and why the controversy has Tom Brady under an NFL microscope.

Flat footballs make for an unfair advantage.

"I think you would have more grip on the ball, so it's easier to throw," she said.

So Keigwin made it her school science project to prove the air pressure can change from temperatures alone.

"Ball 2 I put in the refrigerator at 38 degrees, and Ball 3 I put in the oven at 100 degrees," she said.

In her study, the PSI increased in the oven and decreased in the fridge. Her conclusion?

"The Patriots probably didn't cheat and the temperature does affect the PSI of footballs," she said.

The study got lots of attention at the science fair. Dallas Cowboys fan Rob Sandles was skeptical.

"I think it's obviously made by a Patriots fan and her father," he said.

Keigwin does have some connections to the Patriots. Her dad is from Boston. But she says that doesn't matter and her results were nothing but scientific.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.