Tom Brady AJ Feeley, Days after Tom Brady was hit with a four-game ban for his role in DeflateGate, former NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley said the Patriots have been breaking rules like this for years.
Feeley recalled playing for the Dolphins in 2004, when he noticed that the New England QB was using broken-in footballs. At the time, the league mandated that teams to use new balls provided by the NFL.
"Prior to Tommy and Peyton Manning going to the league (in 2006) and saying, 'Let us doctor our balls,' we used to all play with the same balls," Feeley said on 97.5 The Fanatic. "Somehow this beat-up ball from the ball boy was getting thrown in on offense for New England, yet when we were on offense, this orange brand new ball was getting thrown in."Feeley — who played in the NFL for six seasons, suiting up for the Eagles, Dolphins and Rams — had a problem with Brady gaining an advantage by using older footballs.
“He’s getting his own balls thrown in on offense,” Feeley continued. “That was an issue to me at the time."
Feeley later released a statement to the News on Thursday regarding his radio interview: "My intention was not, and is not, to get involved in the current firestorm of discussion about the deflating of footballs. There are a lot more important things to talk about. I referenced a game in New England in 2004 where I repeatedly saw an old, broken-in football being thrown in while New England was on offense, and that I told Sage Rosenfels and others about it. That is true. But I did not say that Tom Brady had any part in that happening. I noticed the old ball because the rules at that time mandated that brand new, untouched footballs be used. In the mid-2000's, largely at the behest of the game's stars like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the rules thankfully changed to allow teams to break in balls the way the quarterbacks wanted, as long as the balls met the league's inflation standards. That's what I was referring to when I referenced the 'doctoring' of balls. I was referring to the completely legal preparation of the balls. I should have used better wording, and for that I apologize."
On Monday, Brady was slapped with a four-game suspension, which he is appealing, after the Wells Report concluded that Brady was probably "generally aware" that team staff members were deflating footballs.The Patriots — who defeated the Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX — were also fined $1 million and docked a 2016 first-round draft pick and a 2017 fourth-round pick.
The NFL said Patriots owner Robert Kraft informed commissioner Roger Goodell that assistant equipment manager John Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally had been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective May 6.
Feeley recalled playing for the Dolphins in 2004, when he noticed that the New England QB was using broken-in footballs. At the time, the league mandated that teams to use new balls provided by the NFL.
"Prior to Tommy and Peyton Manning going to the league (in 2006) and saying, 'Let us doctor our balls,' we used to all play with the same balls," Feeley said on 97.5 The Fanatic. "Somehow this beat-up ball from the ball boy was getting thrown in on offense for New England, yet when we were on offense, this orange brand new ball was getting thrown in."Feeley — who played in the NFL for six seasons, suiting up for the Eagles, Dolphins and Rams — had a problem with Brady gaining an advantage by using older footballs.
“He’s getting his own balls thrown in on offense,” Feeley continued. “That was an issue to me at the time."
Feeley later released a statement to the News on Thursday regarding his radio interview: "My intention was not, and is not, to get involved in the current firestorm of discussion about the deflating of footballs. There are a lot more important things to talk about. I referenced a game in New England in 2004 where I repeatedly saw an old, broken-in football being thrown in while New England was on offense, and that I told Sage Rosenfels and others about it. That is true. But I did not say that Tom Brady had any part in that happening. I noticed the old ball because the rules at that time mandated that brand new, untouched footballs be used. In the mid-2000's, largely at the behest of the game's stars like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the rules thankfully changed to allow teams to break in balls the way the quarterbacks wanted, as long as the balls met the league's inflation standards. That's what I was referring to when I referenced the 'doctoring' of balls. I was referring to the completely legal preparation of the balls. I should have used better wording, and for that I apologize."
On Monday, Brady was slapped with a four-game suspension, which he is appealing, after the Wells Report concluded that Brady was probably "generally aware" that team staff members were deflating footballs.The Patriots — who defeated the Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX — were also fined $1 million and docked a 2016 first-round draft pick and a 2017 fourth-round pick.
The NFL said Patriots owner Robert Kraft informed commissioner Roger Goodell that assistant equipment manager John Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally had been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective May 6.
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