Someone took home a unique part of NFL history Saturday morning, but not without taking a little air out of his or her wallet.
One of the footballs used in the New England Patriots’ AFC Championship Game win over the Indianapolis Colts sold at an auction for $43,740, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
Lelands.com auctioned off the ball on behalf of Laura Anthony, who snagged the souvenir when wide receiver Brandon LaFell gave it to her after a Patriots touchdown. According to Rovell, it’s the only ball from that game known to reach the public domain.
The footballs used in the contest, of course, quickly became infamous throughout Deflategate, in which New England was investigated and later punished for allegedly deflating footballs before and during the game.
Lelands.com founder and chairman Joshua Evans said back in June the price of the football could reach six figures. While it fell short of that number, the nearly-$44,000 price tag still is one of the highest ever for a football, according to Rovell.
“Even $20,000 for a game-used football is rare,” Rovell writes. “A football used in 1958 NFL championship game sold for $16,730 in February, and a game-used ball from Super Bowl XXXVI, signed by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, sold for $4,915 in December.”
Bidding for the Deflategate ball started at $25,000, a Lelands.com spokesman told CBSSports.com, and needed just five bids to reach the winning price.
While others continue to cash in on Deflategate, Brady still awaits his fate in the case. The QB made his appeal to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on June 23 but might not get his ruling until the end of July.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
