Super Bowl XLIX: Roger Goodell says Deflate Gate investigation still ongoing

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says "no judgements" have been made yet into the Deflate Gate scandal which has dominated the run-up to Super Bowl XLIX.

The New England Patriots, who take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL's showpiece game in Arizona on Sunday, were found to have used balls below the league's mandated pressure in their AFC Championship game win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Ted Wells, the NFL's outside investigator, is attempting to determine why the balls were used in the first half and if it was "the result of deliberate action", according to Goodell, who says whether the Patriots gained any competitive advantage is secondary to a rule being broken.

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a close friend of Goodell's, has demanded an apology if no wrongdoing is found, but Goodell insists he has nothing but the league's integrity to consider.

"This is my job. This is my responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. I represent 32 teams. All of us want to make sure the rules are being followed," Goodell said during his state of the league news conference.

"I was at the Kraft residence along with season-ticket holders, sponsors and media partners, the night before the AFC Championship. That's part of what we do. I was there to participate in the program with our partner, CBS. It's something I do on a regular basis. It's not unusual. It's also not unusual that I work closely with owners.

"Professionally I have a relationship, and I also admire, respect and think very highly of him on a personal level. There's no hiding from that point.

"Since he knows me so well and knows that I'm not going to do anything to compromise the integrity of the league, I think he has no doubt that I will do the right thing."

Goodell admitted it has been a tough year for the league, and him personally, after he faced criticism over his handling of the Ray Rice domestic abuse case, one of a number of high-profile incidents that brought the NFL plenty of bad publicity.

"It has been a tough year," Goodell added. "It's been a tough year on me personally. It's been a year of what I would say is humility and learning.

"We obviously as an organisation have gone through adversity, but more importantly, adversity for me. It's an opportunity for us to get better. ... We've all done a lot of soul searching starting with yours truly."

Watch live coverage of Super Bowl XLIX on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 3 from 10:00pm on Sunday.