nbc's ron mott remains on assignment in foxborough, mass, for us tonight. hey, ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening. the patriots played about half of that game with those deflated footballs, and now the league said they will pore through videotape and other evidence to see exactly how that happened. perhaps not business as usual, but business nevertheless as the new england patriots hit the practice field amid a swirling controversy. >> i think this is about playing great and being a great group next sunday. >> reporter: today, the nfl broke its days' long silence announcing ted wells will help lead the investigation, the man who handled the league's high profile probe into bullying. in a statement, the nfl said it's conducted nearly 40 interviews with personnel and game officials and others with more to go and the investigation is ongoing, will be thorough objective and being pursued expeditiously. >> i don't have an explanation. >> reporter: a day after coach bill belichick and quarterback tom brady told a crush of reporters they had n

we begin with nbc's ron mott. hey, ron, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. with the clock ticking down to the start of this big football game on sunday, today nfl commissioner roger goodell met with the media and talked about this controversy that a lot of people are saying has left a dark cloud over the super bowl. with deflategate still looming over the super bowl, nfl commissioner roger goodell's state of the league address today was as much about the state of his leadership as the sport itself. >> it has been a tough year. it's been a tough year on me personally. it's been a year of what i would say humility and learning. it's an opportunity for us, for our organization to get better. so we've all done a lot of soul searching starting with yours truly. >> reporter: goodell has faced withering criticism over his handling of concussions and domestic violence cases involving players and now awaits the league's investigation into underinflated footballs used by star quarterback tom brady. >> we don't know enough in this investigation to know who is responsib

ron mott up in foxborough tonight. ron, thanks for starting us off. >>> now we go to the west where we have been covering a growing and very worrisome measles outbreak which just today appears to have spread to yet another state. as you may know this one started with several visitors to disneyland, and now parents of unvaccinated young children are tonight being warned to stay away. our report tonight from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: when it comes to the spread of measles, it's a small world after all. the outbreak that began at disneyland has now expanded to arizona, along with colorado, oregon, utah, washington and to mexico. as california health officials issue a warning for those who aren't vaccinated and especially kids too young for the vaccine. >> i would recommend those children, infants, are not taken to places like disneyland today. >> we're vaccinated so no concerns. >> reporter: but some park employees are not. so disney's offering free shots and immunity tests to its workers. the park now monitoring

nbc's ron mott is following all of it for us in glendale, arizona. the super bowl will be played 11 days from now. >> reporter: good evening to you. eleven days before kickoff and the nfl is dealing with this growing controversy that is overshadowing the game tonight. and folks think this could linger long after a new champion is crowned. espn citing anonymous sources reports that the nfl found 11 of 12 game balls used by the new england patriots were under- inflated, which could make the balls easier to throw and catch especially in the rain as was the case in sunday's victory. the controversy over deflate gate as it's called on social media, whether they tampered after they were inspected by the referee. >> i think it's possible the curtain has been pulled back here on a whole series of things that go on behind the scenes that no one was really aware of. >> reporter: according to league rules, two hours before the game 12 balls from each team are checked by officials, measured and weighed to meet league specs and marked with the ref's signature. te

nbc's ron mott covering all of it tonight from boston. >> reporter: frigid air continues to rain across much of the country today, slowing or shutting down the flow of more than water. with temperatures in 40 states expected to plunge below freezing. icy streets near cleveland after a water main break. blizzard conditions in north dakota. even snow and ice in jacksonville, florida. it's a bone-chilling quiver nearly coast-to-coast. >> we've got that snow, you can see it on the sky cam barely making out downtown. >> we have one more day of the bitter temps to get through, possibly some snow. >> reporter: in new york city police and postal workers had no choice but bundle up. in virginia two injured firefighters in sub zero temperatures. >> is anybody out here? >> reporter: in nashville, patrols in search of the homeless to help them escape bitter cold. >> all right. it's going to be the coldest night of the year, we'll get you inside if you want. >> reporter: in chicago schools are closed, meaning the ymca was open for working parents. >> days like this the ymca is a savior. >> reporter:

our report tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: call it the battle of os. ohio state versus oregon. this year's combatants in college football's relentless war of words about who's the best in the land. >> hey, it's the ducks, baby. >> go bucs all the way. >> reporter: while the ducks or buckeyes will have official bragging rights come morning, the debate over number one is sure to rage on. >> let's go bucs! >> reporter: for decades fans have clambered for a playoff similar to how the pros crown a champion. >> everyone wants to know who's the really number one. >> reporter: they finally get their wish, a game hyped to rival tv's biggest draw, the super bowl which attracts more than 100 million viewers. and yet the complaints continue. four teams were invited into the tournament, including florida state and alabama. others snubbed, some say, like baylor and texas christian. >> it's an imperfect way to do it, but the more i'm in it now, this is the only way to do it. >> reporter: bickering, of course is part of college football lore. who can forget undefeated

nbc's ron mott has our report. >> reporter: nbc sports is reporting the deflate-gate investigation is now centered on a 90-second bathroom break taken by a locker room attendant before the afc championship game. the attendant nfl sources say is seen on surveillance video carrying game balls from both teams after they were certified by the officials. this is the first piece of evidence beyond the fact that the footballs were underinflated. this is the first thing that can be pointed to as an opportunity by someone with the patriots organization to have the footballs behind a closed door for any period of time and potentially do something with them. that's why it's caught the nfl's attention. >> reporter: today was super bowl media day, a super sized frenzy of reporters and cameras and microphones with questions flying. of all the questions posed, deflate-gate remained a hot topic though responses were little. >> all about us getting ready to play sunday. that's where our attention is. not really worried about the rest of that. >> reporter: upon arriving in arizona monday, patriots owne

coach belichick and tom brady, for what they have had to endure this past week. >> that was nbc's ron mott reporting. >>> well a busy day ahead in the nation's capital. loretta lynch, the president's nominee for next attorney general, begins her senate confirmation hearings. then a formal farewell for defense secretary chuck hagel. next week confirmation hearings take place for ashton carter hagel's proposed replacement. and all of this comes on the heels of the president's trip to india and saudi arabia. the president and first lady returned to d.c. early this morning. before they left though the first lady got a lot of attention on social media for not wearing a head scarf or veil. in saudi arabia women are expected to cover their heads. exceptions are made typically, for foreigners though. >>> well according to the "washington post," more than 1,500 tweets were sent with the hashtag translating to "michelle obama unveiled." nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. so, tracie what's on the president's agenda today? >> reporter: pretty busy day. he's going to say good-bye to chuck hagel,

ron mott from foxborough tonight. thanks. >>> the tsa revealed it confiscated a record number of firearms from passengers. they say the vast majority were in fact loaded. the number of gun confiscations at the airport is up 22% in a single year as more americans choose to carry concealed weapons and then forget they're carrying them as they try to board. our report on that tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it happens five to six times a day at tsa airport checkpoints, firearms usually loaded discovered in carried on bags or passengers bodies. in seattle, tucson hidden inside a play station console at new york's jfk airport, in amarillo san antonio and cincinnati. nationwide in 2014 a record 2,212 confiscated firearms up from 660 ten years ago with more states now allowing americans to carry concealed guns. but the vast majority of passengers claim they simply forgot. john ran the tsa until the end of december. >> one of the common excuses, i'll say that we hear is that my -- typically my wife or girlfriend

nbc's ron mott is at gillette stadium in foxboro tonight. >> reporter: good evening. what this game lacked last night is being replaced by intrigue tonight. specifically the football used by the new england patriots and whether the team doctored some of these balls to get the upper hand. >> touchdown new england! touchdown! >> reporter: the new england patriots routed the indianapolis colts 45-47 to win a spot in the super bowl. >> we're onto seattle. >> reporter: but tonight the nfl wants to know whether the team deliberately deflated footballs used by their offense to gain an edge. this morning star quarterback tom brady laughed off the situation. >> did you get the sense that you were able to grip the ball better than the colts last night? [ laughter ] >> would you care to weigh-in on that? >> i think i heard it all at this point. >> reporter: it was at the second half that officials re-examined some footballs. the difference between a properly inflated and a deflated football is easier to feel than it is to see. deflated it is softer and more pliable therefore it

nbc's ron mott is in foxborough massachusetts this morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. a lot are calling to end deflate-gate before the super bowl which is a week from tomorrow. if you read the statement from the nfl, this may go on longer before the saga is over. >> you know i didn't alter the ball. >> reporter: quarterback tom brady and bill belichick said their peace and roger goodell is pressed to weigh in before the super bowl. in a statement on friday breaking its days long silence, the nfl said nearly 40 people had been interviewed with more to go and the investigation is ongoing. it will be thorough and objective and pursued ex-pe dish yusly. in other words, hinting no clear end in sight. >> good chance we will not have definitive answers until the patriots face the seahawks. >> is tom brady a cheater? >> i don't believe so. >> reporter: this comes a day after the dual news conferences. some say this is less of a believable involvement. and bill belichick's short answers following the opening statement in which he denied the inv

ron mott is following that sports thing in glendale arizona outside the university of phoenix stadiume talking about the game itself at this point? >> you know ronan, the first ten days or so in the run-up in the game all we were talking about is deflate-gate but i think the air is coming out of the story, pun intended. >> i see what you did there. >> reporter: the answers aren't forthcoming so we'll table that and wait until the league pits it up and we hear something official. they are talking again about the game. everyone felt that match-up between denver and seattle would be epic and turned out to be a dud of a game. seattle destroyed the broncos and seahawks hoping to destroy the patriots on sunday. the match-up is wanting to see brady's offense against the seattle defense with richard scherr monday sherman and chancellor. i think personally that's where the game is going to be decided. seep at marshawn lynch likes to do his talking on the field. this should be a good game. i've got my fingers crossed that it's not a repeat of what we saw last year. ron mott, thanks for the upda

. >> let's let more from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: quarterback tom brady is used to being in the spotlight, though not in the hot seat especially on social media labeled a cheat. >> you have never knowingly played with a football that was under 12.5 pounds of pressure. >> no. >> bill belichick said he was shocked to learn about the deflated ball controversy, saying he's never concerned himself with the feel of a football in four decades of coaching. >> i'm trying to coach the team. that's what i want to do. tom's preferences hison his footballs are something he can talk about in much better detail and information that i could possibly provide. >> reporter: with 2007's spy gate and the half million dollar fine he paid for spying. >> i've told you everything i know. i've told you all that i know. >> reporter: what remains unknown is who besides the ball runners had access to the balls before the game. >> there's only one or two ball boys that are responsible for the balls before and during the game. >> reporter: and while in 2011 tom brady expressed his preference for a softer football it's

ron mott joins us now. this is one of the most bizarre stories i've ever heard.ng a football for one team would have not had the same benefit for the other team. >> reporter: well, hey, dr., andrea, these stories seem to follow the patriots. if you deflate the football as a quarterback it's easier to grip and easier to have control of the ball when you throw it through the air having played high school football myself. as a receiver those balls are easier to catch than fully inflated balls. if the patriots were playing with balls that were under weight they would have an advantage over the colts. the way the rules in the nfl rules book says that the home team is responsible. they may not in practice do this any longer but the home team is supposed to be responsible for bringing officials a set of game balls and there's a separate set used for kicking. they are marked with the letter k and there's a different runner on the sideline who is holding those kicking balls with a k and different runner holding game balls. she's wearing a vest with an x on it. the officia

nbc's ron mott has more for us. >> reporter: erica, good morning. by any measure, aaron hernandez was on the way to greatness on the football field. prosecutors back in massachusetts say he was on the way to trouble, and implicated in not one, but two murders. >> second and a deuce. over the middle. touchdown, hernandez! >> reporter: at super bowl xlvi years ago, aaron hernandez helped the patriots build a lead. the one they would lose along with the game. now with his former teammates are preparing for another chance of glory, the former tight end's downfall is playing out in the massachusetts courtroom. >> the evidence will show that aaron hernandez is an innocent man. >> reporter: on trial for the murder of a friend 27-year-old odin lloyd. >> they drove to a secluded isolated area in north attleboro. there he shot his friend. >> reporter: hernandez grabbed attention in the nfl when the patriots awarded him with a $40 million contract in 2012. the same year where he gunned down two at a nightclub. hernandez has pleaded not guilty to all charges. h

nbc's ron mott reports. >> reporter: espn citing anonymous sources, reports that the nfl found 11 game balls were underinflated. which can make the ball easier to grip especially in the rain. as was the case in sunday's victory. deflate-gate centers on whether the patriots tampered with the balls after they were tested by the referees. >> it's possible that the curtain was pulled back on things that go on behind the scenes that no one was really aware about. >> reporter: they are to be checked and marked with the ref's signature. and then they are given to ball runners where they remain. so how could this happen? in just seconds, they could insert a needle like this and release pressure, some say, to gain an edge, even if it's barely noticeable. nfl rules don't govern access to footballs during the game. but stipulate that if any individual alters a ball, they face possible disciplinary action. >> and i think a possible suspension for the coach depending on what kind of proof or chain of custody they have for these footballs. >> they play good ball, why would they do this? >> they're c

today and no doubt there's going to be a lot of questions about the so-called deflate-gate nbc's ron mottg as it's called on social media whether the patriots tampered with their footballs after they were inspected be i the referee and the cup tan has been pulled back here on a whole series of things that go on behind the scenes that no one was really aware of. >> reporter: according to league rules, two hours before the game 12 balls from each team is checked by officials. measured and weighed and marked with the ref's signature, they're given to ball runners on both sidelines where they remain. someone carrying a small pump needle can relieve pressure enough some say to gain an edge even if it's barely noticeable. stipulate, if any individual alters the footballs, they face discipline including fines. >> i believe the loss of draft picks may be in play a suspension of the head coach may be in play depending on what kind of proof they have and even what kind of chain of custody they have on these stupid footballs. >> they have come this far, they have played good football. >> they're che

nbc's ron mott has more. >> reporter: championship sunday is here. and like much of the 2014 nfl season so, too are off-the-field headlines. >> on the field, nfl is as strong as ever. off the field issues feel like they are starting to fade but there are bigger problems. >> reporter: rape charges in the past week charges his attorney denies. another aerial protest today taking on the nfl commissioner. as for the games themselves new england patriots quarterback tom brady and coach bill belichick, the most victorious one-two combo ever are vying for a staggering sixth super bowl appearance. they'll face rising star andrew luck of the colts whose team last week dominated the man he replaced in indianapolis peyton manning. in seattle, the defending champion seahawks and quarterback russell wilson will call on their 12th man to help them beat the green bay packers. the fans so raucous, they've set off earth shaking tremors. one seahawk running back marshawn lynch, lets his play do the talking. he's been fined heavily for not talking to reporters so now h

ron mott is live in foxborough massachusetts with the latest. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. the nfl says this investigation is ongoing. a lot of people compelling to wrap up the controversy before the super bowl a week from tomorrow. but it seems this could be a mile longer before this saga is over. quarterback tom brady and coach belichick spoke. in a statement friday breaking its days's long silence, nearly 40 people have been interviewed with more to go and that the investigation is ongoing and will be thorough objective and expeditiously, hinting no clear end in sight. >> pretty good chance we will not have any definitive answers. >> is tom brady a cheater? >> i don't believe so. >> the nfl update comes a day after dual news conferences. the star quarterback giving a less than believable explanation of his potential involvement. and belichick's customary short answers following an unusually lengthy opening statement in which he denied any knowledge of how the balls became deflated. >> i've told you all i know. i

. >> nbc's ron mott is live in sunny, warm arizona. u deserve that ron. >> reporter: my wife just reminded me how much snow we have. she says she can barely get out of the house. i am -- >> a little guilt trip. >> reporter: i am with all the new englanders in spirit. back to this you saw bill belichick there didn't want to respond to questions yesterday at media day. the owner of the team robert kraft, when the team landed on monday, made it clear he wants the nfl to apologize to his franchise if they don't find any wrongdoing in this whole situation because of what he says tom brady and bill belichick have gone through since this all broke the monday after that afc championship game. and what this all comes down to now is the league apparently has been given surveillance video taken from the inside of the gillette stadium that shows this locker room attendant carrying both sets of game balls, one for the colts and one for the patriots, into a bathroom. he apparently emerges 90 seconds later and took the balls out on to the field and th

nbc's ron mott is live aboard an armed coast guard vessel patrolling the waters in boston's sea port. what have you got? >> reporter: good day to you. day one of what is expected to be a month's long process here with this trial. as you mentioned security will be tight. we show the security in boston harbor. you see these two small 25-foot coast guard boats. they are armed. armed guards manning machine guns on the front of both of those vessels. off to the distance the boston harbor police. this detail will work these waters for the next four, maybe five months. this trial could go into june. you can see the moekly courthouse is just over here. they are enforcing, joy, a 100-yard buffer zone that is prohibited to traffic. traffic getting near the courthouse. they want to make sure they protect this side of the building. there's plenty of security on this side of the building. as you might imagine, a lot of security in the building. what we can tell you about the jury selection process, this is the second group that is in today. there will be four more groups coming in. two groups tomo

ron mott, thank you so much for that. another concern for fans arriving for the super bowl. the reese else. there's a warning from doctors to those who haven't had the shot and plan on going. we'll talk about that coming up in 10 minutes from now. let's head to the weather. and the brutal cold hitting the northeast this weekend. windchills from northern new jersey to western massachusetts. towns throughout connecticut are opening warming centers for those who can't get enough heat in their homes. the rain is a problem for super bowl fans. they have braved muddy conditions for several free concerts after thunderstorms on thursday and friday. they didn't see it as a problem. >> i have muddy shoes too. i ain't going to feel that bad for them. i'm in the same condition they in. what i am going to do is make them feel good when they're out there in the mud. >> okay snoop. let's head to the weather channel's reynolds wolf. reynolds? >>> good morning. let's take a look at what we can expect from winter storm linus. we talked about parts of the northeast due for another round. take

thanks to ron mott for that report. >> okay. >>> of course, underinflated footballs is the latest in a series of controversies dogging the nfl. some of them with significantly higher stakes. like that footage of ray rice punching his girlfriend or like adrian peterson's controversial beating of his young son. that's why it was so significant that the nfl has used one of the super bowl's biggest platforms. it's ad space to call attention for domestic violence. this is a story we've been following today. an ad using audio from an actual 911 call. >> 911, operator 911, where's the emergency? >> 127 -- >> what's going on there? >> i want to order a pizza for delivery. >> ma'am, you've reached 911. >> a large with half pepperoni and half mushroom. >> you know you called 911. >> do you know how long it'll be? >> ma'am, is everything okay over there? do you have an emergency or not? >> yes. >> and you're unable to talk -- >> right, right. >> is there someone in the room with you? just say yes or no. >> yes. >> okay. it looks l

ron mott joins us live now from the federal court house that is not far from the marathon finish line area right now. >> a lot of security. good morning, i'm looking a the u.s. coast guard here. they have armed guards floating up-and-down the harbor here protecting the

for "today," ron mott, nbc news. >>> we have dylan with another check on the weather. >> it will not be all that widespread but it doesn't take much ice to make for slippery conditions on the roads. you can see the snow is approaching san angelo, texas. it is all rain in brownsville. we are looking at watches and advisories and warnings in blue. for of all places south central texas. we are looking at .10 of an inch of ice. it makes the roads and sidewalks slippery. as we go into the next 24 hours, it spreads into northern missouri and northern arkansas and southern missouri where the ice accumulating as well. .10 of an inch of ice. as we go into sunday and monday it is on the move. we are looking at the northern edge to produce the ice in indianapolis. pittsburgh starts as snow and switches to ice. we could see ice in washington, d.c. 7:00 a.m. on monday morning, a bit of ice early on. it turns over to rain as it makes its way into the northeast. we could see snow in southern new england early in the >>> good morning. 6:04 the time. waking up to a little bit of cloud cover, even fog

nbc's ron mott shows us why a bathroom break is taking center stage. >> reporter: nbc sports is reporting the deflate-gate is centered on a 90 second bathroom blake taken by a patriots locker room at ten dachbt before the game. the attendant is seen on surveillance video with the balls after they were certified by officials. >> this is the first piece of evidence beyond the footballs were inflated. this is the first thing that could be pounted to as an opportunity with someone from the patriots organization to have the footballs behind closed doors for any period of time and potentially do something with them. that's why it's caught the nfl's attention. >> reporter: super bowl media day, a supersized frenzy of reporters and cameras questions flying. >> it's all about seattle and getting us ready to play sunday. that's where all of our attention is. >> upon arriving in arizona monday patriots owner robert kraft demanded an apology from the nfl if its investigation can't prove the team did anything wrong. >> i would expect and hope that the legal would apologize to our entire team and in pa

nbc's ron mott is outside the stadium in glendale, arizona. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you. this is a dress rehearsal for next week's big game. we have tens of thousands of football fans here. security is in place and it's super tight. for a lot of people it's time to simply play football. the defending super bowl champions seattle seahawks kicked off the day with a big hometown rally after a relatively quiet week of preparations unlike upcoming opponents. they landed hours later in the arizona desert and were asked for their take on the deflategate controversy that has preoccupied the patriots. >> all the distractions about the football have nothing to do with us. >> hey guys. welcome to the pro bowl. >> reporter: fans with tickets to tonight's pro bowl, all-star game, soaked up the sun and festivities. time to see some of the league's best players and ready for a break from the odd week largely about underinflated footballs. >> does it really matter? we're really not concerned about that. >> more people tend to watch. it's ki

nbc's ron mott reports. >> reporter: espn citing anonymous sources say 11 out of 12 were underenveloped which could make them easier to catch. the controversy over deflated gate as it's called on the media, whether they tampered after they were inspected by the referee. >> i think it's possible the curtain pulled back on a whole series of things that go on behind the scenes that no one was aware of. >> according to league rules two hours before the game 12 balls were checked by officials, measured and weighed to meet league specs and marked with the ref's signatures. ten minutes they are given to ball runners on the sidelines where it remained. how can it happen? in a few seconds someone with a pump can insert it into a ball and release two or three pounds of pressure enough to gain an edge even if barely noticeable. states if any individualitiers the football they face discipline as well as fines. >> i believe the loss of draft picks might be in play. i believe a suspension for the head coach might be in play depending on what kind of proof they have and even what kind of chain of cust

ron mott is the site of super bowl xlix. i'm jealous you get to be there this weekend.hat is the mood right now? >> i think you just told me what i'm having for lunch after this live shot. buffalo wings and velveeta cheese. after ten days we're finally around to talking about the game itself after talking about footballs. we're now just talking about football. and for the patriots fans who have not heard this news brace yourself. tom brady has a cold. so be watching out for that over the next three days. for this time of the season after a long grueling nfl season, both teams come into the super bowl relatively healthy, which means we hope to get a really tight football game here on sunday. a couple of folks in the defensive secondary for the seahawks earl thomas and richard sherman, were banged up in the green bay game. they're expected to play. some of the fans starting to arrive. security will be super tight for people lucky enough to have tickets. one of the things we want to show you, this is a really cool stadium here. in the heat of arizona, they grow this field.

ron mott has our report from the site of the game. >> reporter: with less than 24 hours to kickoff, super bowl security is about to kick into high alert. >> we're looking for the super bowl anything like a weapon of mass destruction, any explosive, anything out of the ordinary. >> reporter: and they're scanning high and low for trouble. f-16 fighter jets will join blackhawk helicopters patrolling the no-fly zone above the stadium. on the ground s.w.a.t. teams, canines, thousands of officers and security personnel in uniform and under cover safeguarding the game and the crowd of more than 71,000 fans. you have eyes pretty much on this entire facility. >> we do both inside and out. >> reporter: it's the third super bowl in arizona. and the man in charge of coordinating 40-plus agencies on the security detail says familiarity hasn't brought complacency. >> a lot of us are waking up at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning running things through our heads what could go wrong. >> are you on the phone with her? >> reporter: from this undisclosed location officials keep close watch on the festivities with