It's the latest twist in a story that, to some, exemplifies the overhyped talking points that often get blown out of proportion during the two-week wait for the Super Bowl.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he didn't give the game balls a thought during Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts. "I didn't alter the ball in any way," he said.
Football is the most watched sport in America — and increasingly, one of the most controversial. If you were the NFL commissioner, what one thing about the sport would you change?
His comments come amid reports that 11 of 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game were underinflated — an apparent advantage. The NFL is investigating the matter.
This weekend's playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys is being billed as the second "Ice Bowl." The 1967 game in Green Bay was one of the coldest football games ever played.
But the inquiry by former FBI Director Robert Mueller also says the league should have more thoroughly investigated the assault by the Baltimore Ravens star of his then-fiancee.
On 17 Sundays every fall, millions of people tune in to this cable channel, which airs for just seven hours a week and endeavors to show each score from as many as 12 simultaneous football games.