John Harbaugh unaware of 'irregularities' with footballs vs. Pats
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he was not aware of any irregularities involving the footballs used during the team's divisional round playoff loss to the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the NFL found 11 of the footballs the Patriots used in Sunday's AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated by two pounds each.
That game took place one week after the game between the Patriots and Ravens. The NFL rulebook outlines regulations for balls used in games.
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game.
The Patriots reportedly have said that they will cooperate with any investigation. A report said that a confirmation of deflated footballs will result in lost draft picks.
New England is set to face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
