Pats reinstate Jastremski, McNally

The NFL said the New England Patriots can reinstate the two employees at the center of what a league investigation found was a scheme to use improperly inflated footballs in the AFC championship game.

Equipment assistant John Jastremski and officials locker room attendant Jim McNally were reinstated Wednesday after the team requested they be allowed to return.

"The Patriots have satisfied the league's requirements for reinstatement and the league has granted permission for the employees to return," the league said in a statement.

The NFL launched a months-long, multimillion dollar investigation after finding the footballs supplied by the Patriots for the AFC title game against Indianapolis were inflated below the league minimum. In one of the more damning pieces of evidence, McNally referred to himself as "the deflator."

In its report, the league said it was more probable than not that McNally and Jastremski "participated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee." The report also found that Brady "was at least generally aware" of the scheme.

The Patriots have insisted that neither they nor their employees did anything improper in the scandal that came to be known as "Deflategate." But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fined the Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks, including a first-rounder, and suspended Brady four games.

Brady's suspension was vacated by a federal judge, who ruled that it exceeded the penalty allowed by the collective bargaining agreement. The NFL has appealed.

The Patriots suspended McNally and Jastremski, and the league said they must apply before the two employees could be reinstated and could not return to their former responsibilities. The team confirmed last week that it had applied for reinstatement.

A Patriots spokesman did not respond to an email asking what McNally and Jastremski would do for the team.

Raiders' Carr returns to practice

Derek Carr was a full participant in practice for the Oakland Raiders three days after leaving the season opener with an injured throwing hand.

Carr says he took about 99 percent of the snaps in practice Wednesday and expects to play Sunday against Baltimore. Carr left Oakland's season-opening loss against Cincinnati in the second quarter after hurting his hand trying to stiff-arm Adam Jones on a scramble.

Carr says he initially feared the injury could be more serious, but the swelling died down by Monday and he was able to throw the ball with few limitations at practice. Carr says he has never missed a game because of injury at any level and does not plan to now.

Mallett to start for Texans?

Ryan Mallett will start at quarterback for the Houston Texans on Sunday at Carolina, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Brian Hoyer started the season-opener, but had two turnovers early and was benched in the fourth quarter. Mallett took over and led the Texans on two scoring drives in the last six minutes of the 27-20 loss to Kansas City. He will start against the Panthers, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team is not expected to disclose its starting quarterback until game day. The NFL Network first reported the Mallett decision.

Hoyer was signed in the offseason after starting for the Browns last year and beat Mallett for the job in training camp.

Coach Bill O'Brien said on Monday that he knew who the quarterback would be, but that he wouldn't share that information before the game. He repeated the sentiment on Wednesday.

"Quarterback, you guys will find out on Sunday," he said. "It'll be a decision again that's in the best interest of the team."

Mallett and Hoyer both spoke on Wednesday before news of the decision broke, and neither gave any indication of who would start. Mallett spoke about how he was able to jump into the game late and help the team cut the deficit.

"I felt good," he said of Sunday's game. "Like I said after the game, it's about preparation. I get my confidence from how well I prepare and it's going to be the same this week — prepare for whichever way we go. You know what I mean? Prepare like a starter regardless."

Panthers coach Ron Rivera was asked about the difference in preparing for the two quarterbacks and indicated that he finds their abilities comparable.

"In this situation it's not like you have Tom Brady on one side and another quarterback somewhere else. Or Peyton Manning or someone else," he said. "We're talking about two young quarterbacks that have very similar skill sets. One is more mobile (Hoyer) than the other, and the other (Mallett) has a stronger arm."