#LaserGate: The NFL Claims it's Looking into Brady Getting Blinded by a Laser Pointer in KC
Source – A KMBC 9 News photojournalist’s camera caught someone using what appears to be a laser pointer directed at Tom Brady’s face during Sunday night’s AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium.
The first instance caught on camera was on a hand-off from Tom Brady to Sony Michel in the fourth quarter. The previous play was a punt that appeared to be muffed by Patriots’ receiver Julian Edelman but was later overturned.
The next play, Brady threw an interception that went on Edelman’s hands.
On the Patriots’ go-ahead drive late in the fourth, the green light shows up on Brady’s face again, this time on a pass to Chis Hogan, and a 25-yard completion to Rob Gronkowski. …
Laser researcher Charles Cobb, DDS, MS, PhD., said based on the size of the spot, it looks like the person was sitting far back in the end zone, possibly in a corner.
“That one looked pretty diffuse, which implies to me it’s probably a laser pointer,” Cobb said. “He would’ve been seeing spots out there instead of his receivers.”
Cobb says the FAA has been dealing with issues of people using similar lasers to blind pilots in plane cockpits.
“This is enough, if it hits the retina of the eye for just a short period of time, it could cause damage to the retina,” he said. “I don’t think lasers should be shined at anything except under surgical conditions or if you’re giving a talk.”
Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, said the league is looking into the incident.
This is not the greatest time for American journalism. News agencies are among our most distrusted institutions from people at both ends of the political spectrum. And it’s getting harder all the time to trust what you read, hear and see. But this is some fine journalism by the good people at KMBC that proves the so-called Fourth Estate still plays a critical role in our society.
Without their intrepid work on this issue, we would just assume Brady was merely beating the Chiefs when he put those passes right into the hands of Edelman, Gronk and Hogan. Now we know he was beating dangerous, blinding technology in the hands of some cheating madman. Like I said yesterday, which is now confirmed by laser researcher Charles Cobb, DDS, MS, PhD, if you point one of these things at a pilot from your backyard, federal investigators will show up at your door and throw you into a world of hurt. Pointing one into the beautiful, Sky Blue eyes of a quarterback is every bit as serious a crime, and needs to be dealt with in the same manner. And with the same priority.
Though I doubt that will happen. NFL president of communication Brian McCarthy can communicate all he wants. Until we see some action, I’m just going to assume the league is putting LaserGate in the recycle bin where they threw HugGate, PushGate, the Jets tampering with Darrelle Revis, Peyton Manning’s HGH and all the data they were supposed to collect on air pressure in the footballs. But at least the reporters are trying to get to the bottom of this major scandal.
P.S. The job of Laser Researcher sounds a lot sexier than it apparently really is. I mean, tell me Dr. Cobb wasn’t excited to be interviewed by a local TV news outlet. He’s probably been waiting his whole career for a break like this. Kids, if you’re going to get into Laser Research and you want to impress the ladies, be a Pew! Pew! Laser Guy instead of a Laser Pointer Guy. Take it from the pros.