Dean Blandino: NFL doesn't log PSI in footballs during pregame
NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino told reporters Thursday that the league doesn't log the PSI in footballs before each game, according to NESN.
Blandino said the referees either approve or disapprove the footballs, and that protocol was properly followed before the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Colts.
"We did review what happened pregame, and from everything that we reviewed and all the information we had, the balls were properly tested prior to the game," Blandino said.
• ROSENBERG: Legacy of Deflategate
After the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, New England was accused of playing with balls that were inflated below league requirements. Subsequent investigations found that 11 of the Patriots' 12 footballs were, in fact, under-inflated by two pounds of air (psi), based on league regulations, sparking reaction all across the NFL. It was later revealed that the 12th football was also under-inflated, but by less than two psi.
The league is currently investigating the Patriots for Deflategate and has said evidence "thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half" of the AFC title game.
- Molly Geary
