The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The NFL issued a statement on Friday afternoon in response to inquiries about “Deflategate." The statement opened with: "Our office has been conducting an investigation as to whether the footballs used in last Sunday’s AFC Championship Game complied with the specifications that are set forth in the playing rules. ..." It closed by stating: “Our investigation will seek information from any and all relevant sources and we expect full cooperation from other clubs as well. As we develop more information and are in a position to reach conclusions, we will share them publicly.”

Diehards Line:The statement also made it clear that upon being advised of the investigation, the Patriots promptly pledged their full cooperation and have made their personnel and other information available to us upon request. In addition, over the past several days, nearly 40 interviews have been conducted, including of Patriots personnel, game officials, and third parties with relevant information and expertise. The league says it has obtained and is continuing to obtain additional information, including video and other electronic information and physical evidence. They have hired outside companies to help with the investigation and to perform forensic work on the video evidence. ... Bottom line? "The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. ..." Stay tuned.