Report: NFL employee fired for selling game-used footballs

An NFL employee has been fired for selling game-used footballs without the league's permission, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reports. 

An earlier report from ESPN's Adam Schefter seemed to indicate that the balls in question were related to the NFL's investigation of the Deflategate controversy, but Florio reports that is not the case. 

Instead, according to Florio, an NFL employee named Scott Miller removed a kicking ball from play in the first quarter and the Patriots noticed later that the kicking ball was not the same as the one they began the game with. The Patriots then alerted officials, who attempted to find the ball. Miller later brought the ball back to the field. 

It isn't clear whether Miller was fired for this one incident or if the NFL found more instances of him selling footballs for his personal gain, Florio reports. Schefter's report seemed to indicate that there were multiple balls involved.

"There are a few different league officials, according to people I spoke with today, at the game, who handled the footballs," Schefter said on ESPN's Outside the Lines, according to ProFootballTalk. "League employees: League Employee 1, League Employee 2 and League Employee 3, we’ll call them, for lack of a better phrases, whose jobs are to handle the balls on game day. And League Official 1, he’s also supposed to take the balls out of play and then send them off to a charitable endeavor to raise money for a charitable endeavor that the league is embarking upon.

"Only on this day, and since that day, the league has since fired that employee for allegedly selling off some of those footballs on the side. So that employee — League Official 1 — has been fired since the AFC Championship game."

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The Most Talked-About Footballs in NFL History

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

With the NFL investigation into Deflategate concluding that it is probable the Patriots deliberately deflated footballs and that Tom Brady was "generally aware," here is a gallery of the most talked-about footballs in NFL history, beginning with Brady looking to pass in the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Tom Brady gestures before the snap in the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.

Elise Amendola/AP

Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola cannot catch a pass while being defended by Darius Butler during the first half.

Elsa/Getty Images

Tom Brady hands the ball off to LeGarrette Blount in the first quarter.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Tom Brady throws a pass in the first quarter.

Matt Slocum/AP

Tom Brady looks to pass during the first half.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Shane Vereen makes a catch in the first quarter against Jerrell Freeman.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Shane Vereen makes a catch in the first quarter against Jerrell Freeman.

Matt Slocum/AP

Rob Gronkowski cannot make a catch in the end zone over Colts cornerback Greg Toler during the first half.

Charles Krupa/AP

Julian Edelman tries to make a catch during the first half.

Julio Cortez/AP

Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson intercepts a pass intended for Rob Gronkowski during the first half.

Julio Cortez/AP

D'Qwell Jackson intercepts a pass intended for Rob Gronkowski.

Elise Amendola/AP

D'Qwell Jackson is congratulated by teammates after his interception.

Julio Cortez/AP

Julian Edelman is tackled by cornerback Darius Butler during the first half.

Al Bello/Getty Images

James Develin scores a touchdown in the first quarter.

Elsa/Getty Images

James Develin celebrates his first-quarter touchdown.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Julian Edelman runs with the ball against Greg Toler.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

LeGarrette Blount runs with the ball in the first quarter.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Tom Brady looks to pass in the first half against the Colts.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Tom Brady runs for a first down in the second quarter.

Al Tielemans/SI

An official has a ball handed to him during the AFC title game.

Matt Slocum/AP

Tom Brady has a ball tossed to him during warmups before the AFC Championship game.

The NFL is investigating whether the Patriots intentionally deflated their footballs during the AFC Championship game. It was originally reported that 11 of the 12 balls were between one and two pounds per square inch under-inflated, but subsequent reports have indicated that only one ball was two PSI under the limit.

ESPN reported Tuesday that a Patriots staffer tried to give an official an unapproved kicking ball during the game in question. 

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Sports Illustrated legal expert Michael McCann notes that the Patriots could argue the NFL's investigation should be dropped if Schefter's report is accurate. 

At a press conference on Jan. 24, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick attributed the low pressure levels of the footballs to atmospheric conditions. Quarterback Tom Brady denied altering the balls "in any way" on Jan. 22. Owner Robert Kraft said at a press conference before the Super Bowl that the league should apologize to his team if the investigation reveals no wrongdoing. 

This story has been updated to reflect new information.

- Dan Gartland