Just in case you were wondering how common it is for NFL teams to mess with the amount of air that goes in or comes out of an official game ball, the internet has uncovered an intriguing clip that seems to indicate Aaron Rodgers has admitted to “cheating” this way in the past.
Earlier this season, Phil Simms explained during a CBS broadcast that Rodgers told him he likes to have a lot of air in the football and has even had the Green Bay Packers inflate balls beyond what is allowable. Mark Schofield shared the segment on Twitter.
“He said something that was unique, ‘I like to push the limit to how much air we can put in the football — even go over what they allow you to do — and see if the officials take air out of it,'” Simms explained. “He thinks it’s easier for him to grip. He likes them tight.”
Ironically enough, the Packers were playing the New England Patriots when Simms told his story.
The NFL is still currently investigating whether the Patriots intentionally deflated balls to below the league standard to gain an advantage. We showed you a video earlier of the referees seemingly taking a ball out of play early in the second half of the AFC Championship Game.
What now? Would Rodgers deny having told Simms that? Did Simms simply misunderstand him? Or is this really a non-issue that apparently started when an Indianapolis Colts linebacker intercepted a Tom Brady pass? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
H/T Ben Volin
