Science fair 7th grader shows footballs deflate sans Brady

LYNN, Mass. ( – Seventh-grader Ben Goodell has earned honors at a Massachusetts school science fair for his demonstration of how footballs can deflate on their own.

Ben Goodell – no relation to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell – tells the Daily Item he wanted to prove that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn’t deflate footballs in the “Deflategate” scandal.

The St. Pius V Elementary School student says he exposed properly inflated footballs to different weather conditions, including humidity and snow. He says the footballs dropped by 2 PSI after two hours every time.

Ben Goodell won the Outstanding Project Award at the February science fair.

NFL lawyers have asked a federal appeals court in New York City to reinstate the league’s four-game suspension of Brady. A ruling is unlikely for weeks.