NFL Reportedly Investigates Patriots for Deflating Footballs

The Patriots beat the Colts 45-7 in New England today, dominating every phase of the game. At some point during the contest, the referees apparently wondered if the football(s) were deflated. Bob Kravitz of WTHR reports on his Twitter feed.

"Breaking: A league source tells me the NFL is investigating the possibility the Patriots deflated footballs Sunday night. More to come. I’m told at one point the officials took a ball out of play and weighed it. Should hear more tomorrow on this subject. Didn’t have a chance to talk to colts officials about this. They were long gone when I heard this. Nobody is suggesting this is why the colts lost obviously. They were manhandled. Told if a league investigation confirms deflated footballs it will result in lost draft picks. Stay tuned."

Once upon a time, Lane Kiffin got busted for doing this at USC, and deflated footballs are apparently easier to throw and catch. One imagines we’ll hear plenty more about this story in the coming days.