NFL investigators have found evidence that first-half footballs used by the New England Patriots in their playoff victory over Indianapolis were under-inflated.
In a statement outlining their investigation but offering little firm news, the NFL on Friday said the Patriots' offensive unit played with balls that had less air and were therefore easier to grip, catch and throw until halftime, but how that happened remains a mystery.
Nearly 40 people have been interviewed by investigators in the probe, a controversy that has stolen the spotlight from New England's 45-7 rout of Indianapolis and their showdown with defending champion Seattle in the Super Bowl on February 1 at suburban Phoenix, Arizona.
NFL teams each provide 12 footballs for a contest, all of them checked for proper air levels by referees before the contest and returned to the teams, typically under the control of an equipment manager.
During a game, each team's offensive unit uses only the balls its team provided.
That became an issue when Indianapolis intercepted a pass from New England quarterback Tom Brady and Colts players questioned the air level.
The balls were checked at halftime and made to conform to NFL standards of 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch.
The Patriots led 17-7 at halftime with the apparently lighter balls, but outscored the Colts 28-0 in the second half with balls the league says were proper.
The notion of cheating by tampering with the balls comes against a Patriots club that lost an NFL Draft pick and $US250,000 ($A310,000), while coach Bill Belichick was fined $US500,000 ($A621,000) in 2007 for videotaping an opposing team to detect determine defensive scheme signals in violation of NFL rules.
The league announced the investigation is being led by NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash and Ted Wells, a lawyer who helped look into the bullying controversy that erupted in the Miami Dolphins locker room in November of 2013.
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