The New England Patriots are receiving support at a time of controversy from an unlikely location: New York's City Hall.
Mayor Bill de Blasio grew up in Massachusetts and remains loyal to the Patriots.
He said Tuesday he believes the team did not deliberately under-inflate footballs in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
De Blasio said he did not think any team would do so knowing how unlikely it would be to get away with it.
He also said he did not understand "why you would bother" against the Colts. He joked that the Patriots could have won that game using a brick as a football.
The Patriots beat the Colts 45-7 and play the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's Super Bowl.
The NFL is investigating the ball issue.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
