AFC Championship Football
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks during a press conference after the NFL football AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
(Elise Amendola)
Before moving on to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49, the New England Patriots have some answering to do.
Following their win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, a report emerged that the NFL was looking into whether the Patriots intentionally used deflated footballs during the game.
Speaking for the first time since the accusations emerged, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he will cooperate with the investigation, but didn't flat out deny the report.
Here is everything Belichick had to say about the investigation:
What's your response to the report on deflated footballs?
"We'll cooperate fully with whatever the league wants us to -- whatever questions they ask us, whatever they want us to do."
Did you know as the game was going on last night that there was potentially an issue?
"No, I didn't know anything about it until this morning."
What do you think about the topic and if that could potentially be an advantage for a team?
"You're asking the questions, I'm just trying to answer them."
Were the Patriots using deflated footballs?
"I just said, the first time I heard about it was this morning. Whatever they need from the league, that's what we'll do."
The NFL rulebook on the official website has no mention of how much a ball should weigh.
The home club shall have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor games available for testing with a pressure gauge by the referee two hours prior to the starting time of the game to meet with League requirements. Twelve (12) new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer, will be opened in the officials' locker room two hours prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked with the letter "k" and used exclusively for the kicking game.
A 2011 rulebook, however, lists the specific required dimensions.
The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case (natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight shall be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches; weight, 14 to 15 ounces.
The Patriots are not new to controversy, as they were caught videotaping the defensive hand signals of the New York Jets in 2007.
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After an investigation, the NFL took the Patriots' first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, as well as fined Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000.
If found guilty of intentionally using deflated footballs in Sunday's game, the Patriots would likely be docked a draft pick.
The timetable for the investigation isn't known.
Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Sports on Facebook.