NFL Investigating Patriots
FOXBORO, MA (The Spread) – The NFL is investigating the Patriots for whether or not they deflated the game balls used in the AFC Championship Game versus the Colts on Sunday.
The NFL requires game balls to be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds of air. If the balls are lighter and thus, deflated, that would have allowed Tom Brady to get a better grip in the sloppy Foxboro conditions.
Officials during the game on Sunday took several balls out of play to weigh them. According to Bob Glauber of the Indy Star, if the Patriots purposefully deflated the balls, it could result in lost draft picks for the organization. Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Patriots were forced to part with draft picks for breaking NFL rules. In 2007 the NFL disciplined the Patriots for videotaping the Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals during a September 9 game from a sideline location. Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots lost their 2008 first-round pick, which would have been the 31st pick of the draft.
In their 45-7 win over the Colts on Sunday, the Patriots easily covered the 7-point spread as the combined score of 52 resulted in a push on the total. According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, Super Bowl XLIX is currently sitting at a pick’em between the Patriots and Seahawks.
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