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The New England Patriots came away with a 45-7 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the NFL will investigate the footballs used in that AFC Championship victory. The NFL is looking into whether the Patriots deflated footballs used in the game, according to Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com. The league confirmed that it will investigate on Monday morning.
According to Kravitz a violation for deflated footballs would not impact the outcome of the AFC Championship, but the Patriots could lose draft picks. Kravitz reported officials took a ball out of play during the game and weighed it. According to NFL rules, home teams are required to provide 36 balls for outdoor games and make the balls available for testing with a pressure gauge prior to the game.
Breaking: A league source tells me the NFL is investigating the possibility the Patriots deflated footballs Sunday night. More to come.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 19, 2015
I'm told at one point the officials took a ball out of play and weighed it. Should hear more tomorrow on this subject.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 19, 2015
Told if a league investigation confirms deflated footballs it will result in lost draft picks. Stay tuned.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 19, 2015
And on Monday morning.
Just heard from an nfl spokesman the league is in fact investigating the matter.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 19, 2015
NFL spokesman Michael Signora confirms the NFL is looking into whether footballs were properly inflated in Patriots-Colts game.
— Bob Glauber (@BobGlauber) January 19, 2015
This isn't the first time a notable football team has been accused of deflating footballs. The USC Trojans were fined and a manager was fired for deflating balls against Oregon in 2012. Deflating footballs wouldn't have made much difference in the game on Sunday as the Patriots obliterated the Colts and the result had nothing to do with a couple of missing PSI in the balls.