Report: 11 of Patriots' game balls were underinflated

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots, coach Bill Belichick and the NFL are really going to have some questions to answer in the run-up to Super Bowl XLIX now.

ESPN reported late Tuesday night the Patriots had 11 of their 12 allotted game footballs underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch for Sunday's AFC Championship Game rout of the Indianapolis Colts, citing "league sources either involved or familiar with the investigation."

NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in an email the league is "not commenting on the matter at this time."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James issued a statement reiterating the Patriots "have been in complete cooperation with the league and will continue to do so."

The Patriots are scheduled to arrive in Arizona on Monday for the Feb. 1 title tilt against the Seattle Seahawks.

One Colts player told USA TODAY Sports he didn't notice the balls were underinflated, but did notice officials kept swapping out the ball during the game. The player spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The ball Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson intercepted in the second quarter was among those investigated, the player said, but Jackson didn't notice the underinflation either.

The issue is whether the Patriots used footballs deflated below league requirements to get better grip in the rain during their 45-7 romp Sunday night.

NFL rules stipulate the ball must be inflated to 12½ to 13½ pounds. The referee – on Sunday, it was veteran Walt Anderson – "shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications," the rules say.

"A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game."

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Each team makes 12 primary balls available for testing 2 hours, 15 minutes before the game. The home team also makes available 12 backup balls – meaning the Patriots provided at least 24 on Sunday – and the visiting team can, at its discretion, bring another 12 backup balls for games held in outdoor venues such as Gillette Stadium.

Rule 2 ends with an italicized sentence: "Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing field."

Belichick said Monday the team would "cooperate fully with whatever the league wants us to; whatever questions they have for us, whatever they want us to do." He declined to comment Tuesday in a media teleconference when asked whether the NFL had contacted him.

A finding that the Patriots intentionally broke the rules could yield a strong response from the NFL, especially given the league has disciplined the team in the past.

In 2007, the league fined Belichick $500,000 and took away the team's first-round draft pick the following year after it was found the Patriots illegally videotaped the New York Jets' signals in what became known as the "Spygate" scandal.

Contributing: Lindsay H. Jones