Report: Patriots used 11 under-inflated footballs in AFC title game

The NFL has found that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots in Sunday's 45-7 AFC Championship Game win over the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated by two pounds of air (PSI) each, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

Mortensen notes that the league has not commented on the matter as of Tuesday night, and that the Patriots will continue to cooperate with the investigation.

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

Here's what the NFL game operations manual says regarding punishment for those guilty of under-inflating footballs, courtesy of Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000.

That penalty is meant as a guideline. Larger fines and potential forfeiture of draft choices are possible depending on the severity of the infraction.

The footballs were inspected and approved by referee Walt Anderson two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff and were returned to each team. League rules state the balls are not to be altered from that point on.

The balls are required to be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14 and 15 ounces.

As Mortensen notes, while the NFL has reportedly determined that 11 of the 12 balls were under-inflated, it has not yet determined how they came to be under-inflated.

Troy Vincent, the league's senior executive vice president of football operations, said Tuesday that the league expects to conclude its investigation in "two or three days."