June 18--The footballs used by the New England Patriots offense during the AFC championship this year are among the most talked about pieces of sports equipment in history.
They are, of course, the Deflategate footballs. And now one of them can be yours, if you have the cash.
Make that a lot of cash.
Lelands sports auction house is offering a ball that is said to have been used by the Patriots in that game for a minimum bid of $25,000. According to the seller's description, New England receiver Brandon LaFell handed them the ball in the stands after running back LeGarrette Blount scored a touchdown, then dropped the pigskin to go celebrate.
Since it was the second half, the ball would have been properly inflated at that point. But since 11 of the Patriots' 12 game balls were determined to have been underinflated during the first half, chances are pretty good that this was one of those scandalous balls.
Not sure exactly just who would want to hand over that kind of cash for a football, even an infamous one. Patriots fans probably wouldn't want an expensive reminder of the controversy hanging over their team's championship season any more than Indianapolis Colts fans would want a pricey souvenir from a horrendous loss.
But if you were outbid on Ronda Rousey's used car or the Silverdome urinal autographed by Barry Sanders and have just got to get your hands on an overpriced conversation piece, go for it.
