It appears that things just got interesting.
According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, the NFL has found that footballs used by the Patriots against the Colts Sunday night were indeed under-inflated, with 11 of the 12 footballs used by the team in the AFC Championship game found to be under-inflated by two pounds each.
The findings only add further fuel to the fire on this discussion, which has been dominating most of the stories in the media since New England advanced by blowing out the Colts 45-7 at Gillette Stadium to clinch the Conference Championship.
 ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that 11 of the 12 balls used by the Patriots Sunday night was under-inflated. (USA TODAY Images) |
Mortensen reports that one source within the league is, "disappointed ... angry ... distraught," after spending considerable time on the findings earlier Tuesday and the big question now will be what penalty will be handed down by the league, and who they'll hold responsible.
It's interesting to note that the majority of the officials, who handle the ball after every play, didn't seem to notice and one report from Newsday said the investigation stemmed from linebacker D'Qwell Jackson's second-quarter interception. After giving the ball to a member of the Colts' equipment staff, that person noticed the ball seemed under-inflated and he then notified head coach Chuck Pagano. Colts GM Ryan Grigson was then notified, followed by Grigson taking matters into his own hands and notifying league officials, who then notified the on-field officials at halftime.
If changes were made, they didn't slow down the Patriots, who ran off 21 points in the 3rd quarter.
The next question will likely be trying to figure out exactly when the balls were altered, if that was indeed the case. The league rules specifically put them in the hands of the officials, who are the ones who open them and they're checked at that time.
From the offiical NFL Rule book: "The home club shall have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor games available for testing with a pressure gauge by the referee two hours prior to the starting time of the game to meet with League requirements. Twelve (12) new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer, will be opened in the officials' locker room two hours prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked with the letter "k" and used exclusively for the kicking game."
The balls are required be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch, although it's unclear what the number was that the league found during their investigation.
The team didn't comment on the reports, although Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski each dismissed the news, with Brady laughing off the report on the radio, while Gronkowski added his thoughts on Twitter.
Obviously what happens now and what penalty the league imposes remains to be seen. It's enough to make you wonder, if Brady doesn't throw the interception, does this story even come to be considering the officials seemingly didn't notice anything abnormal?
As Greg Bedard mentioned on Twitter, the next thing that will need to happen - at least in fairness to New England - will be having each of the footballs the Colts use tested as a comparison. If that investigation finds no alteration to any of the balls they used, that obviously wouldn't be good news for the Patriots.
Needless to say, it doesn't look like this story will be going away anytime sooon. If nothing else, it's likely only going to become that much more heated in the days ahead.
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