Deflategate Threatens to Mar Patriots Conference Championship Victory

That’s all anyone seems to be talking about right now. Deflate gate. The New England Patriots are being investigated by the NFL for supposedly using under inflated balls during their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in their AFC Championship game.

League regulations state that a football must be inflated between 12.5 to 13.5 pounds of air per square inch. Each team provides twelve footballs that are inspected and marked for use in the game, and are not used for practice prior to a game.

Allegations have now surfaced that eleven out of the twelve balls provided by the Patriots were inflated less than the required amount. A lack of air inside the ball means the ball is easier to grip and easier to catch.

If allegations are proven true, the guilty party will be penalized and fined, though what sanctions will be put in place is still not clear. Docking draft picks and monetary fines seem to be the most obvious ones.

So far, the Patriots have not released an official statement, with Coach Bill Belichick saying he did not know about the investigation, and League officials should be contacted for information. He did, however, promise to cooperate fully with the League’s investigation.