Former NFL official: Patriots' Jim McNally acted suspiciously with footballs years ago

Recently reinstated New England Patriots staffer Jim McNally was an unknown figure to most of the football world before news of his alleged involvement in the "Deflategate" scandal broke, but at least one league official knew his name.

And that official wasn't surprised to hear of McNally getting tied up with accusations of shenanigans involving game balls.

Former NFL head linesman Mark Baltz, who worked with the league from 1989 to 2013, was familiar with McNally and found him to be a suspicious character.

Baltz detailed his experiences to Bob Kravitz of WTHR:

“He always asked for the footballs way, way before he was supposed to get them,’’ said Baltz, who was an NFL official from 1989-2013. Baltz spoke to WTHR.com last week, before the pair was reinstated. “If he could get them 10 or 15 minutes before he was supposed to get them, instead of the usual two minutes before the game – and there were some crews that let him do that – he would do it. I wouldn’t let him take them early, and I think he eventually figured that out because he stopped asking after a while. I probably did 10 to 15 games up there (in Foxboro, Mass.) and those first few times, he’d always ask. I always thought it was very suspicious. He certainly acted in a suspicious manner.’’

...

“For an officials’ locker room attendant, I always thought he was an unusual dude,’’ Baltz said. “Most locker room guys, they sit there and if you need something, they got it for you. When you left the locker room, you’d lock the door and they’d stay right there. The other 31 teams, that’s what they would do. That was his job.

“But McNally, he was running all around like a chicken with his head cut off. Asking for the balls early. What I specifically reported him for several years ago, and I thought this was really unusual, he’d run out on the field with the footballs before the game and the next thing you know, he’s playing pitch-and-catch with (Tom) Brady. Then, next thing, he’s on the sidelines right next to (Bill) Belichick, like he’s a (bleeping) assistant coach or something.

The controversy surrounding "Deflategate" has mostly died down with the court's decision to overturn Tom Brady's suspension, but this could reignite the fire.