The Sports Xchange

A ball used by the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game sold for $43,740 on Saturday.

The ball, which was auctioned off by Lelands.com, is the only ball from the game thought to be in the public domain. The ball was sold by Laura Anthony, who was given the ball by Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell after running back LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown in the third quarter of the Patriots’ 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots played with underinflated balls in the first half of that game, according to an NFL-commissioned investigation. But it is unclear whether the ball auctioned Saturday was one of the underinflated balls.

The NFL suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games, pending a decision on his appeal, and also fined the Patriots $1 million and two draft picks.

The 243-page report by investigator Ted Wells concluded that the Patriots “more probable than not” violated NFL rules and Brady “was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities” of the deflated game balls.

The investigation began after the game because 11 of 12 game balls tested at halftime were found to be below PSI minimums.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce a ruling next week on Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension.