NFL completes game ball Investigation
FOXBORO, MA (The Spread) – Following an investigation by the NFL, sources tell ESPN that 11 of 12 game balls used in the AFC title game were under-inflated.
The league requires that each team provide their offense’s game balls to the referees two hours and 15 minutes before every game. The balls are then inspected and no alterations are allowed following said inspective.
During their investigation, the NFL found that the Patriots’ footballs were under-inflated by two pounds less per square inch of air than what is required by the league. The reason New England would do this is so that quarterback Tom Brady would have a better grip on the ball in during the sloppy conditions at Foxboro.
Granted, the deflated balls had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, as the Pats crushed the Colts 45-7 on Sunday. But in 2007, Bill Belichick was fined $500 thousand for having an assistant spy on Jets’ defensive signals. The team also lost their first-round pick in 2008 (31st overall) and carries a reputation of being cheaters. There has already been talk that the Patriots could lose draft picks again in wake of this investigation.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Super Bowl XLIX between the Patriots and Seahawks is currently sitting as a pick’em. The total, meanwhile, is presently at 48 points.
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