Deflate-gate Update: 11 of 12 New England Patriot Balls were Deflated

By Cheri Cheng - 21 Jan '15 09:37AM

The NFL's investigation found that 11 of the 12 balls used during the AFC Championship between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts were deflated, league sources stated according to ESPN.com.

The league's rulebook states that all game balls must weigh anywhere from 14 to 15 ounces. They must be inflated with 12.5 to 13.5 pounds of air per square inch. 11 of the Patriots' game balls weighed two pounds per square inch below the regulation weight parameters. A deflated ball changes the grip of the ball, which can make catching, throwing and holding onto the ball easier for the players.

During that game, the Patriots pummeled the Colts 45-7.

The Colts tight end Dwayne Allen stated that the Patriots would have won regardless of the balls. He tweeted: "@NFLonFOX not a story. They could have played with soap for balls and beat us. Simply the better team. We have to continue to build! #BTM."

Colts punter Pat McAfee joked about the situation, tweeting: "If New England was to be DQ'd..We'd be their replacement right??...I should probably lay off these strawberry margs."

Colts cornerback Darius Butler tweeted: @nfl So we get to play the game again or nah?

The NFL's senior vice president of communications, Greg Aiello, stated that the league would not be making any comments '"at this time." The investigation is still ongoing as the league is now looking into how these balls got deflated.

One source stated that the league is "disappointed...angry...distraught."

"We have been in complete cooperation with the league and will continue to do so," Patriots spokesman Stacey James said.

If the league finds the Patriots guilty of deflating the game balls, the punishment is still unclear. According to an original report by Bob Kravitz of WTHR, the Patriots could lose draft picks but would still be able to play against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

The NFL's executive vice president for football operations, Troy Vincent stated earlier this week that the league expects the investigation will be concluded by the end of the week.