the chain of custody of footballs in any NFL game is loose. The refs get them a couple of hours before game time and they check them out for pressure, scuffs, etc. They then give them back to the team's equipment managers some time before the game starts. Each team supplies 12 balls that their own team will use (which seems like it sets this kind of thing up).

When the Colts played them earlier this year they lodged a formal complaint with the NFL about how they believed the Patriots were under-inflating their balls (joke on). It seems that one of their DBs had an opportunity to get his hands on a couple of balls (interceptions...keep you minds at altitude) and he handed them over to their equipment manager complaining that they seemed a little soft.

So...if it's true that it was a normal thing for those guys then, yup...cheating. I do find it astonishing that both teams don't play with the same set of balls (seriously, stop it).

A Tampa Bay QB recently disclosed that he paid some equipment guys $7,500 to scuff up 12 of his balls (sigh) in their superbowl appearance .