Seahawks NFC Championship ball: What's its PSI?

The football that Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse caught Sunday to win the NFC Championship was tested by KIRO 7 Friday afternoon.

Its level was 13 pounds per square inch.

Scott Shelton, the man who caught the ball after Kearse launched it into the stands said he hadn't changed the air pressure of the ball -- though he did handle it almost like a museum piece, even sleeping with it on a pillow next to him.

He invited 12s to take photos with the ball Friday afternoon for a donation to a charity. KIRO 7 went and asked to check how the ball was inflated. The NFL requires game balls to be inflated to between 12 1/2 and 13 1/2 pounds per square inch.

The NFL says it is still investigating how the New England Patriots used underinflated balls in their last game but has no conclusions yet and no timetable for resolving the cheating accusations with the Super Bowl nine days away.

The league said Friday that evidence shows the Patriots used underinflated footballs during the first half of the AFC championship game Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

It issued a statement that the Patriots have pledged full cooperation and have given the league information it requested and made personnel available upon request. Quarterback Tom Brady said Thursday afternoon he had not been contacted at that point.

The NFL said it began its investigation Sunday night and expects cooperation from other clubs. It hired an investigatory company to help review electronic and video information.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said investigators were in Foxborough for three days this week after he received a letter from the league Monday informing him of the probe.

"We provided access to every full- and part-time employee the league's representatives requested to speak with and produced every communication device that they requested to search," he said. "I very much support the league's desire to conduct a complete investigation."

The Patriots are preparing to meet the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona.

The league said its conclusions will be quickly shared when reached.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

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