Lelands.com, an auction house headquartered in Bohemia, NY, sold the ball early on Saturday for $43,740 to an unnamed recipient. The ball made its way into the public domain through a fan, who received it after Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell handed it to her after Pats running back LeGarrette Blounte scored a third-quarter touchdown.
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In May, attorney Ted Wells concluded in his investigation it was “more probable than not” that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was “generally aware” of team attendants deflating footballs prior to the AFC Championship game on January 18.
That’s the highest amount ever paid for a football, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
In August previous year, a ball used in the most lopsided game in college football history (Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College 222-0 in 1916) was sold for $40,388.
Still, it’s not clear whether the ball was used by the Patriots in the first half of their blowout win.
The sale comes almost six months after the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC Championship game. That fan was the one who put the ball up for auction.
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National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce a ruling next week on Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension.
