The Vince Lombardi Trophy was handed out. The confetti dropped. The duck boat parade that snaked through downtown Boston has long since ended.
But the shadow over the New England Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX season remained as the NFL investigated whether the team gained a competitive advantage by deflating footballs in the AFC championship game. Wednesday, league-hired attorney Ted Wells concluded in a 239-page report that two Patriots personnel men — officials locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski — "participated in a deliberate effort to release air from the Patriots game balls" and that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware of" the practice.