The NFL has confirmed that it is investigating the apparent use of deflated footballs by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.
The Patriots hammered the Indianapolis Colts to reach the Super Bowl with a 45-7 victory, but during the match there was a delay while a ball was removed from play and replaced.
The ball was weighed and the league is investigating further into the incident, which could lead to a punishment of $25,000 (£16,543) and the removal of Draft picks if the Patriots are found guilty.
NFL VP of officiating Dean Blandino told NFL Network: "It's not unheard of for a ball to be removed from circulation and then tested during the week for whatever issue there was."
"We'll cooperate fully with whatever the league wants," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters. "Whatever questions they ask us."
The Patriots were famously involved in the Spygate scandal in the 2007 season where they were docked a first-round Draft pick and Belichick was fined $500,000 (£330,000) for illegally videotaping their opponents' defensive signals.
