'Spraygate'? Tom Brady spotted on sideline with mysterious hand spray

Late in the third quarter of last night's rain-soaked game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets, TV cameras captured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spraying a mysterious substance on the back of his right hand.

"I don't think that's mosquito repellent," joked play-by-play man Brad Nessler. But neither he nor color commentator Mike Mayock offered any explanation of what was in the spray bottle.

So, what was it?

Fans watching on Twitter immediately jumped to the most salacious conclusion.

It almost certainly wasn't deer antler spray, the infamous Cervidae-derived treatment made famous (unwittingly) by Ray Lewis. Deer antler spray is thought to help repair cartilege damage and build muscle mass over time. Brady would see no immediate effects by using such a product in the middle of a game.

More likely, Brady was spraying some sort of water inhibitor on his hand. Last night's game was very wet and gripping the ball must have been exceptionally difficult.

Failing that, Brady may have taken a page from the world of soccer and found some of the "magic" analgesic spray applied to players' skin after they get kicked by opponents. Perhaps he hit his hand on a helmet and needed some pain relief.

Whatever the spray was, it was surely legal to use. Brady's a smart man. Does anyone really believe he'd use an illegal substance in plain view of TV cameras? 

Put the pitchforks away, Patriots haters. There's no "Spraygate" here.