Did an NFL long snapper carry a paper clip to deflate footballs?

As we wait for the Tom Brady appeal to finish, there's air time to be filled, and ESPN's Adam Schefter filled it with an interesting story about other players deflating footballs.

During a live shot on "NFL Insiders" on Tuesday afternoon outside the NFL's Park Avenue offices, where Brady's appeal was being held, Schefter said that since the deflate-gate scandal involving Brady and the New England Patriots broke, he has heard of other instances of deflating footballs around the league.

"There was one punter I know — or, long snapper, last year — that carried a paper clip with him in two games and deflated footballs before he snapped them during the games," Schefter said on air. "There's another backup quarterback that would deflate footballs for his starting quarterback."

As for who that backup quarterback might be, someone might want to check to see what Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo was doing during games (kidding, kidding).

That's quite a story from Schefter that he buried in a longer report, but it goes to show that chicanery of all kinds happens during games, and has for many years. Athletes will always look for an edge and teams will too — that's how the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings were warned last year after their game in which the Panthers were spotted during a cold game using sideline heaters on footballs, which is against the rules (the warning for that infraction is a long-cited example of how ridiculous the NFL's punishment to Brady and the Patriots was).

The Patriots may have done something to the footballs during the AFC championship game. Schefter says that at least two other players around the league did the same.

It doesn't make it right, but if you have argued that the Patriots are the only team in the NFL looking for some kind of an edge around the rules, or the only team that would consider deflating a football, let's assume they're not alone.

- - - - - - -

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab