Inflated value: Football from ‘Deflategate’ game nets $43K at auction

(MEDIA GENERAL) – According to a report from ESPN, the only ball from the 2014 AFC Championship Game owned by a member of the public was sold at auction Saturday morning for $43,740.

Per ESPN reporter Darren Rovell, the price tag was one of the highest ever paid for a football.

Laura Nichols was given the ball by New England Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell after his teammate, LeGarrette Blount, scored a touchdown in the third quarter of January’s playoff game. The game, a 45-7 Patriots win over the Indianapolis Colts, has since gone down in infamy as the “Deflategate” game.

Following the game ,the NFL fined the Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks after the league ruled the team intentionally deflated balls to a lower pressure, per quarterback Tom Brady’s preference. League rules mandate balls be kept within a specific range of pressure. Brady, who was suspended for four games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, has appealed his suspension.