New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The NFL issued a statement Friday regarding its investigation into allegations the New England Patriots used underinflated balls during the AFC Championship Game and said the early evidence supports the initial conclusion but that the process is ongoing. The Patriots rolled to a 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday in a rain-soaked game at Gillette Stadium and reports began to surface in the hours after the contest that balls were not correctly inflated, which would apparently allow for a better grip in inclement weather. Citing league sources, ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that 11 of the 12 balls used by the Patriots during the game were underinflated by two pounds of air pressure per square inch (PSI). NFL rules mandate game balls, which are inspected by the referee, be inflated to 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 PSI. The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games, the league said in its statement Friday. We take seriously claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were underinflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. 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. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence. The league said Friday the investigation is being led jointly by NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the law firm of Paul Weiss. Wells was the leagues investigator into last seasons bullying scandal involving the Miami Dolphins. According to the statement Friday, the league began its investigation Sunday night and has already conducted nearly 40 interviews. Game officials and Patriots personnel were among those included in those early discussions, although New England quarterback Tom Brady said Thursday he had not yet been contacted. On Thursday, both Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the situation and each denied any wrongdoing. Belichick was first to speak on Thursday morning and said he was completely and totally unaware of the issue, adding he was shocked to hear the reports on Monday morning. Brady on Thursday afternoon said he didnt alter the balls in any way and would never break the rules. The Patriots, who will play Seattle in the Super Bowl, have pledged their full support of the investigation and have made personnel, as well as other information, available to the league. If the NFL finds the Patriots deflated footballs intentionally, they could be subject to penalties similar to ones levied after the team was found to have videotaped defensive signals used by the New York Jets during a game in September 2007. Those penalties included a $500,000 fine for Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a draft pick. Atlanta Falcons Jerseys 2018 . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . 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Deion Sanders Jersey .com) - Sporting Kansas City announced Thursday that club has signed former on-loan midfielder Jimmy Medranda to a permanent contract from Colombian side Deportivo Pereira.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Four-time champion Novak Djokovic and reigning titlist Stan Wawrinka were a pair of easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. The world No. 1 Djokovic disposed of Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, while the fourth-seeded Wawrinka moved on in similar fashion, topping Turk Marsel Ilhan 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Djokovic appeared to be tired and still recovering from illness after his match, saying hed had a rough two weeks health-wise but Im getting up there. His mood changed suddenly when a court-side interview turned to reflections of 2014, when he won Wimbledon for the second time, married his long-time girlfriend, Jelena, and the couple had a son, Stefan. Well those two events are the two most beautiful events I experienced in my life, he said. Stefan, hes a blessing we received ... now I have even more motivation. Djokovic titled here in 2008, then won three straight from 2011-13 before Wawrinka took the crown last year, stunning Rafael Nadal in the final. Its great, bringing me a lot of memories from last year, Wawrinka said of his return. It was great to come back here feeling happy, happy with my game. Up next for Djokovic will be Russian Andrey Kuznetsov, while Wawrinka will meet Romanian Marius Copil. Fifth-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori beat Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, eighth-seeded Milos Raonic was a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 winner over Illya Marchenko and No. 9 David Ferrer overcame Thomaz Bellucci 6-7 (7-2), 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 at Melbourne Park. No. 12 Feliciano Lopez trailed two-sets-to-one before rallying past American Denis Kudla 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), while 13th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut got past promising Austrian Dominic Thiem 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). No. 16 Fabio Fognini was upset by Colombbian Alejandro Gonzalez 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.dddddddddddd Meanwhile, 17th-seeded Gael Monfils overcame fellow Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-7 (3-7), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, 18th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon handled Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 and 19th-seeded American John Isner dismissed Taiwans Jimmy Wang 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4. In other action involving seeds, Italian Paolo Lorenzi upended No. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; German Benjamin Becker bounced No. 25 Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; German Matthias Bachinger vanquished No. 27 Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-1; No. 30 Colombian Santiago Giraldo subdued Czech Jan Hernych 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; and No. 31 Spaniard Fernando Verdasco came back to best Brit James Ward 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. Aussie favorite and former Melbourne runner-up Lleyton Hewitt moved on by beating Chinese Ze Zhang 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, 6-4. Several other men reached the second round, including tall Pole Jerzy Janowicz, Finn Jarkko Nieminen, Americans Donald Young and Steve Johnson, and Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who outlasted American Sam Querrey in five sets, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Young should have his hands full with the aforementioned Raonic here on Thursday. Several stars will see second-round action on Wednesday, including four-time Aussie champion and former runner-up Roger Federer, the former titlist and two-time runner-up Nadal and three-time runner-up Andy Murray. The second- seeded former world No. 1 Federer will take on Italian Simone Bolelli, while the third-seeded former top-ranked great Nadal will meet American Tim Smyczek and the sixth-seeded Murray will tangle with Aussie Marinko Matosevic. Also on the Day 3 schedule are seventh-seeded former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych and 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. 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