Roger Goodell expects Deflategate investigation to conclude soon

The investigation into whether the New England Patriots used underinflated footballs during the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts will conclude soon, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

[daily_cut.nfl]

Goodell appeared on CBS This Morning on Tuesdayfor a wide-ranging interview and said that league-appointed investigator Ted Wells hasn’t given him a timeline on when the report will be released, but said "it will not be long."

Wells, who also headed up the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal probe, has been investigating how 11 of 12 footballs the Patriots provided for game use were allegedly underinflated during the first half of the Patriots' 45-7 rout of the Colts.

"I do think it will be soon," Goodell said. "We have a responsibility to the 32 teams, not just the one team, to 32 teams, and our fans, and the general public here, to make sure things were done fairly.

"You want to make sure you have all the information. What we’re trying to do is just make sure we’re thorough."

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Goodell said the report will attempt to answer every question about what happened to the footballs during the game and to see if the Patriots are a repeat offenders of the rule.

"I think it's hard because you want to make sure you have all the information," he said. "One of the things that he would be asked to look for: Was it just one game?"

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft have denied any knowledge of wrongdoing. The Patriots advanced to Super Bowl XLIX and ultimately prevailed 28-24 over the Seattle Seahawks.

Also in the interview, Goodell repeated his stance that the league did not get it right and failed to meet standards when punishing players for domestic violence offenses in the past.

"We didn't meet the standard because we didn't get it right. Very simple," Goodell said. "We didn't have the right people. And we were relying on the law enforcement....to make our decisions for us. That's not the way we have to do this. We have to do this with getting the right facts, get them independently if we have to, and make the right decisions ultimately."

GALLERY: The Most Talked-About Footballs in NFL History

The Most Talked-About Footballs in NFL History

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.