Obama Speaks Out About Deflategate

We watched Patriots coach Bill Belichick weigh in. We watched Patriots quarterback Tom Brady weigh in. Heck, we even watched Saturday Night Live weigh in. But, on Sunday night, NBC solicited the ultimate opinion, when TODAY's Savannah Guthrie asked President Obama about Deflategate.

So, we had actually already heard Obama tell reporters at a Democratic retreat in Philadelphia that he would remain impartial on the topic (“I want to just remind the New England and Pacific Northwest contingents this is the City of Brotherly Love, so regardless of what you think about Sunday, I want you all to keep it clean," he said at the event), but, up to this point, the president had not yet elaborated on the biggest scandal to hit football since, well, the last big Patriots scandal in 2007. (And, hey, the dude has plenty on his plate, so can we blame him?)

But, speaking to TODAY's Guthrie Sunday, Obama took a much firmer stance than he did in Philadelphia. Though the president refused to pick a winner of Super Bowl XLIX, Obama did reiterate a popular rebuttal to those pointing fingers at the Patriots following their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts:

The Patriots were going to beat the Colts regardless of what the footballs look like.

But don't worry, Seahawks fans and Brady haters — Obama also pointed out a huge flaw in the NFL system, echoing the criticisms many have launched at the league following Deflategate:

The one thing I didn't realize ... is that each team prepares its own footballs and brings them back to the game.

So, should it be discovered that cheating occurred, should there be consequences?

If you break the rules, then you break the rules.

It looks like, however, we won't see a Deflategate controversy during the Super Bowl itself. An impartial staff will be inspecting the balls prior to the game, per NFL policy. That said, since Deflategate hit, the NFL has yet to change regular policy regarding who prepares the team balls before the game.

So, yes, football fans are still looking for some changes, just like the president himself. Now, if only the NFL would be so candid.