Deflategate Football Sold At Auction for Big Money

A football involved in the Deflategate scandal involving the New England Patriots, their quarterback Tom Brady, and the National Football League (NFL), has sold at auction, fetching $43,739.99, according to The Washington Post.

The ball was used in the 2014 AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. Tom Brady handed the ball off to LeGarrette Blount in the third quarter of the game, and Blount carried it into the end zone.

At the completion of the touchdown, Blount dropped the ball in celebration, and it was picked up by Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell and delivered to a fan in the stands, now known to be Laura Nichols.

Nichols chose to hand the ball over to the auction house Lelands.com to handle the sale of the ball. The ball was auctioned Saturday, with a reserve of $25,000. After just five bids, the auction concluded, and the Deflategate memorabilia sold for less than the anticipated six figures, but for far more than what Nichols paid for it – nothing.

At one point, there was some debate as to whether or not the ball was actually part of the Deflategate scandal, but after much research, its authenticity was confirmed.

“Although the balls were reinflated to the proper levels for the second half, the report by Ted Wells commissioned by the NFL said that they were in fact the same balls used during the first half,” said Darren Rovell of ESPN.com, in a report in Bleacher Report. “So while it’s unclear exactly how much that particular ball was used in the first half, it was in the rotation of deflated Patriot’s footballs. The Wells report cited the testing of four balls after the game.”

The auctioned Deflategate football is the only football from either the 2014 AFC Championship game or the Patriot’s Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks that was ever available to the public.

Another unique aspect of this particular piece of sports memorabilia is that it was sold while the controversy it is attached to is still underway.

The NFL hit Tom Brady with a four game suspension after Brady refused to turn over his cell phone to disclose text messages that could potentially implicate him in, or clear him from involvement in the Deflategate scandal. An independent investigation was conducted and results were reported to the NFL, whereby the NFL handed down the four game suspension to Brady.

Brady has since appealed the decision, and the world awaits NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision on that appeal. But, until then, there continues to be talk of Tom Brady possibly preparing a lawsuit should the appeal not fall in his favor.

A lawsuit by Brady against the NFL could stay his suspension long enough to where he would not be affected during the 2015 season, or it could delay it just long enough to where the suspensions could impact the end of the Patriot’s season.

How the chips will fall is anyone’s guess at this point, but Deflategate, Tom Brady’s suspensions, and the pending appeal are sure to be subjects of much discussion as training camps are about to get underway.

[Image courtesy of Paul Kelher]