New England Patriots chief Robert Kraft hits back as ‘Deflategate’ storm rumbles on

The New England Patriots escaped a winter blizzard to make their way to the Super Bowl city of Phoenix on Monday but there was no avoiding another storm as the mystery of the deflated footballs continued to swirl.

The Patriots stepped off their flight into the teeth of a full blown controversy as hundreds of media welcomed them with questions about an NFL investigation into their use of under-inflated footballs during a victory over Indianapolis that clinched a Super Bowl berth.

For over a week the Patriots have been hammered by questions about how 11 of 12 footballs used in the AFC Championship game did not meet NFL standards.