The NFL's officiating department has reviewed the Bernard Pollard hit that injured the left knee of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, and has deemed it within the rules.

NFL rules state that "no defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction".

But the Pollard hit was deemed legal because "the defensive player was coming off and affected by a block by the offense", according to a league spokesman.