Chapter 848: Deflategate

Upon leaving Warner Studios, Dwayne Johnson received a crucial task: before filming began, Duke wanted him even more muscular than he already was. He needed to be terrifying, like a monster.

Even though he and almost everyone else considered his physique perfect already, Dwayne Johnson went straight home and called in his nutritionist and fitness coach to devise a strict, scientifically rigorous regimen.

He had been adjusting his diet and training for this role since the day he was cast. For the next two months, he would not only maintain that routine but push himself even harder.

Under his new plan, Johnson had to eat the equivalent of twelve people's food every day. He needed seven meals daily to supply his body with massive amounts of protein, a diet dominated by sturgeon.

"In Hawaii, there's a term for it called 'divine power,' meaning 'spirit.'"

During a media interview, Dwayne Johnson specifically discussed his dedication to the role. "'Warrior Divine Power' is my foundation," he said. "My tattoos depict the core symbolism of this story. My divine power is my DNA; it gave me my robust physique, and it keeps me constantly hungry. Find your own 'divine power,' accept its guidance, and let it inspire you. Tomorrow, you will be even better. Yesterday is already in the past."

While Dwayne Johnson agonized over getting even larger, Duke, the man who had given the order, was dealing with headaches of his own.

"This is a naked, coordinated suppression! They're bullying us newcomers!"

In the seaside garden of Duke Manor, Leonardo DiCaprio sat by a rattan table, speaking with considerable agitation. "The Raiders winning two consecutive Super Bowls has made those old fogies feel threatened. They don't want to see a new dynasty rise, so they're resorting to these dirty tricks!"

Duke appeared much calmer than Leonardo. "Leo, just like Hollywood, every circle has its own rules of the game."

He pointed to the official NFL investigation report sitting in front of him. "Relax. They have no solid evidence. Even if they want to play dirty, they won't go too far. It's a game, and they still have to maintain a facade of fairness and justice."

With the new NFL regular season about to kick off, league officials had formally released an investigation report squarely targeting the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Raiders.

Following last season's Super Bowl, media outlets and rival teams had jointly revealed that the Los Angeles Raiders used under-inflated game balls during their home-field AFC Championship Game. The opposing team, the Indianapolis Colts, formally lodged a protest with the league, sparking an investigation that had dragged on until now.

The media had dubbed the incident "Deflategate."

In that game, the Los Angeles Raiders had swept the Indianapolis Colts 45 to 7 at the newly built Lauder Stadium, dealing their opponents a crushing blow. During the third quarter, officials from the heavily trailing Colts complained to the referees that the game balls used by the Raiders were under-inflated. The referees subsequently confiscated two footballs, triggering a chain of events that culminated in this half-year-long investigation.

According to the NFL rulebook, the home team must provide thirty-six footballs for outdoor games, and referees can test their air pressure two hours prior to kickoff to verify they meet standards.

The NFL rules explicitly specify acceptable ball pressure and weight.

The rules also state that the offensive team can request the use of "playable balls" to adapt to a "wet, muddy, or slippery field."

The 243-page "Deflategate" investigation report concluded it was more probable than not that Raiders locker room attendants and an equipment assistant had deliberately deflated the game balls after the referees inspected them.

Furthermore, it aimed the brunt of its accusations at the core and offensive soul of the Raiders, Tom Brady, concluding it was more probable than not that he was at least generally aware of the inappropriate deflation. The report recommended severe penalties for both the Raiders and Brady.

Whether the Los Angeles Raiders had actually deflated the game balls to make them easier to catch, Duke neither knew nor cared to know. As the owner of the team, he was bound to protect its interests.

Most NFL team owners had held their franchises for over a decade, with many having inherited them as family assets. Much like how the Big Six Hollywood Companies treated DreamWorks, they despised outside forces.

Duke and Leonardo had only recently joined this game. That wouldn't have been a big deal on its own, but the Los Angeles Raiders had just snatched the Vince Lombardi Trophy for two consecutive seasons. It took no thought to realize they had inevitably become a thorn in many sides.

This was undoubtedly a targeted campaign against the Los Angeles Raiders. If Tom Brady faced a lengthy suspension, the team's performance would inevitably suffer.

While it was certainly possible that the Los Angeles Raiders had deflated the footballs, they were not the first team to do so, and they certainly wouldn't be the last.

Anyone with even a passing understanding of competitive sports knew that beneath the veneer of fairness and justice lay countless unspoken rules.

In North American professional sports leagues, deflating balls was a nearly ubiquitous phenomenon. After the "Deflategate" investigation results came out, the media even listed several famous examples and dug up cold cases.

In a 1986 interview written by veteran NBA reporter Sam Smith, the famous NBA "Zen Master," Phil Jackson, personally admitted that the New York Knicks had indeed let air out of game balls back in the day.

"We would try to let some air out of the game balls. You all know that the balls usually say 'inflate to 7-9 pounds,' so we'd take a needle, let some air out, and make it a bit flatter," the newspaper quoted Phil Jackson as saying. "That helped us run our offense because we were a team that liked to pass rather than dribble, so how much air was in the ball didn't matter much to us. But it stopped opponents from playing fast, especially those dribble-heavy teams, because the ball wouldn't bounce back up quickly."

The report also noted that the New York Knicks of the 1970s played at a slower pace and lacked physical advantages. Yet, by leveraging their unique style, they secured two NBA championship trophies relying on passing and sharing the ball.

Interestingly, after his past was dragged into the light, Phil Jackson responded via social media. "The joy of tweeting is correcting errors," he wrote. "The Knicks used deflated balls? That's wrong! The required air pressure for game balls was 7-9 pounds. We wanted to use 7 pounds. That wasn't a violation!"

The reporters didn't buy it. According to modern basketball rules, a basketball's air pressure should be between 7.5 and 8.5 pounds; the 7 pounds Phil Jackson had requested was clearly a violation.

They mocked him in droves: "Unless the rules were different back then."

Furthermore, some American reporters revealed that "The Mastermind" Pat Riley and veteran coach Jerry Sloan were also masters of deflating balls.

Once certain unspoken rules were dragged into the light, there inevitably had to be consequences.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell subsequently released a statement: "We will impose disciplinary measures on the Los Angeles Raiders and make necessary changes to the game rules to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. Meanwhile, we will continue our tireless efforts to protect the integrity of the game and always promote fair competition."

Duke was never the type to just sit back and take a beating.

The head referee of that game had submitted a report, which was then leaked by the Warner-owned TMZ Website.

"There is no evidence to prove that other Raiders personnel participated in or knew of any actions violating game rules, or deliberately circumvented the rules mentioned in the report. In particular, I believe that the Raiders' players, head coach, or other coaches engaged in no improper conduct and possessed no knowledge of improper conduct regarding the incident under investigation."

The on-site head referee's report was undoubtedly more persuasive. While it couldn't prove the Raiders hadn't deflated the balls, it was enough to prove the innocence of the players and coaches.

Having fought his way to the top of Hollywood, Duke understood that compromise did not necessarily mean weakness. Compromise was an art, a means to achieve a goal. As long as the league didn't take things too far, he could accept the Los Angeles Raiders facing some penalties. But if they suspended Tom Brady or other key players for an extended period, he had plenty of time and money to play this game with NFL officials to the bitter end.

To this end, Duke also issued a strongly worded statement, reminding certain people not to overplay their hand.

"Throughout this nearly half-year-long investigation process, we have consistently cooperated and patiently awaited the results. Disappointment and anger are insufficient to express our reaction to this report, which includes no irrefutable or compelling evidence proving we deliberately deflated the balls during the AFC Championship Game. America is a nation of sound laws; you are innocent until proven guilty!"

Immediately afterward, Penny Kalis, acting as Duke's spokesperson, announced the hiring of a legal team known as the "Public Enemy of the NFL" to represent the Los Angeles Raiders, demonstrating their resolve to fight a drawn-out federal lawsuit against the league.

Warner-owned media outlets swiftly followed suit, publishing a series of reports claiming that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's dereliction of duty and vindictiveness had allowed this trivial matter to rapidly escalate.

Many outlets emphasized that even if "Deflategate" were entirely true, it amounted to nothing more than a Raiders underling taking the game balls into the locker room before the AFC Championship Game and using a needle to let out a little air.

Ultimately, it was just a ridiculous, laughable little trick that slightly infringed upon the rules.

If such behavior was verified, it was definitely wrong and deserved punishment. However, there was no need to invest nearly six months and millions of dollars into an investigation, let alone exaggerate the matter, foster bitter resentment, and rigidly pursue formal legal proceedings.

The Los Angeles Times even pointed its finger directly at Roger Goodell. "The Raiders aren't some terrorist organization. Do you really need to act like you're the master of the White House?"