Although the “Deflategate” controversy took place almost seven years ago to the day, it is still fresh in the minds of most football fans. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers couldn’t help but make a joke about it in a recent interview he did with Sportsnet.
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On January 18th, 2015, Tom Brady and the Patriots absolutely demolished the Colts in the AFC Championship game. New England was the favorite to win and they were playing at home, so there shouldn’t have been anything headline-worthy about their 45-7 win.
However, the allegations came out soon after. Tom Brady was, as he still is, the face of the NFL but he was being accused of a pretty serious offence: deliberately ordering the deflation of game balls to give his team an advantage.
After a series of investigations and appeals, Brady was eventually slapped with a four-game suspension which he served at the beginning of the 2016 season, and the Patriots were fined $1 million and docked two draft picks.
In the court of public opinion, too, it is generally accepted that Brady and the Pats lost. Most fans tend to believe that there is substantial evidence to back up the accusations, and with the Patriots generally considered the “villains” of the NFL, Deflategate is a popular topic brought in the football world.
Aaron Rodgers takes a sly jab at Tom Brady and the Patriots
Everyone who is familiar with Packers QB and reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers would know that he isn’t exactly the most filtered during his media appearances. He proved that yet again recently during an interview segment he did for the Sportsnet YouTube channel.
For a segment called “Drone Jeopardy”, he was required to throw footballs at drones. When the host tossed him the ball, Rodgers thought that it felt a bit abnormal and, while obviously referencing Deflategate, said, “This is too firm for the Patriots”. (Look to 1:15 in the video below).
Obviously, the incident is in the past and Rodgers is good friends with Brady so there are definitely no hard feelings. Both the QBs will be turning their attention towards escape the tough NFC side of the playoffs, and could even be pitted against each other in the Championship game.
