If you want to own a little piece of history from the game that spawned the whole “Deflategate” scandal, you can bid for a New England Patriots-used football from the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
It is reported by ESPN that a ball handed to fan Laura Nichols by wide receiver Brandon LaFell was put up for bid at Lelands.com for their summer auction that ends on July 17.
Nichols and her husband, Matt, were in the front row at Gillette Stadium for the playoff game. In the third quarter of the game, running back LeGarrette Blount ran the ball in for a touchdown then dropped it to celebrate.
Nichols reported:
“LaFell picked up the ball, I pointed at him, he pointed at me and he handed me the ball. It was all so surreal.”
The couple originally thought the football was a backup brought in for the second half after it was discovered by officials that the balls used in the first half by the Patriots had been underinflated. However, according to the Wells Report, it was confirmed that the 12 footballs used in the first half were re-inflated and used in the second half.
The couple reports they had mixed feelings about hanging onto the ball or putting it up for auction. However, it made more sense to actually earn some cash rather than letting the ball collect dust on a shelf somewhere.
The auction company set the lowest bid for the ball at $25,000. The company also expects this ball to net a nice amount on the auction block:
“This is a ‘wow’ type of collectible,” Lelands chairman Joshua Evans said. “This is one of the best conversation pieces that has ever been sold. I could see this ball getting six figures,” said Evans, whose company first sold the Bill Buckner ball from the 1986 World Series to Charlie Sheen for $93,000 in 1992.”
Here is a snippet of the official description from Lelands.com:
“Ball is an Official NFL gamer featuring imprint of Roger Goodell’s facsimile signature and most importantly referee Walt Anderson’s initials in gold Sharpie. The ball also shows “PATRIOTS” faintly imprinted in black just below the seam under the NFL shield. The historical importance of this piece cannot be understated. It is the most ‘topical’ piece of sports memorabilia that we can recall ever being sold so close to the event itself. Special “pre-registration” will be required for anyone bidding on this piece.”
Six figures would certainly be a coup for the Nichols. It will definitely be interesting to see what the final auction price is when all is said and done.
For the Nichols, it’s fitting that a piece of Patriots’ history might net the a solid nest egg. The couple’s second date was at Gillette Stadium for a game.
Photo: USA Today Sports