DeflateGate: Patriots Face New Cheating Investigation

The New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl, but under the cloud of a new cheating scandal: The NFL is looking into allegations that the Patriots might have deflated the football in last night's victory over the Indianapolis Colts. An NFL insider told WTHR of the investigation, which was confirmed to Bob Glauber of Newsday, as per a tweet. Deflating a ball can make it easier or harder to control, WTHR notes. It could also help with grip on a rainy day like yesterday, Yahoo Sports notes. #DeflateGate is now trending on Twitter.

"I'm told at one point the officials took a ball out of play and weighed it," WTHR's Bob Kravitz tweeted. A delay before kickoff in the third quarter could have been the result of an investigation, Yahoo reports. If the team is found to have deflated balls, it could lose draft picks, Kravitz says. He added that "Nobody is suggesting this is why the colts lost obviously. They were manhandled." The Patriots beat the Colts 45-7. (More New England Patriots stories.)