Rodney Harrison isn’t attacking the New England Patriots, but he’s not exactly defending them, either.
The former safety has been on the Patriots’ side in the past — he spent six seasons in New England after nine years with the San Diego Chargers — but he had mixed feelings about Deflategate during an appearance Friday on NBC Sports Radio’s “Going Deep.”
“The Patriots are being attacked even more because of what happened with Spygate, because they’re the Patriots, because they win, the way they win, their head coach, their owner,” Harrison said, per Larry Brown Sports. “I believe they’re being attacked. At the same time, it’d be naive of me to sit back and say they don’t bring it on themselves.
“Obviously, if (Patriots quarterback Tom Brady) likes his balls softer and it was under the legal limit, that’s messing with the integrity of the game. That’s something, as players, we teach our kids the right thing. We have to teach them that you can’t break the rules and when you do, you get punished.”
And Harrison certainly knows a thing or two about NFL punishments. The 42-year-old was on the 2007 Patriots team when Spygate happened, and he was suspended four games of that same season for using human growth hormone. Still, Harrison said Brady should have been banned two games instead of four, adding that the whole saga has gotten out of control.
“It’s kind of overblown, I really believe that,” Harrison said. “I understand that there’s a certain level of integrity of the game. Quarterbacks are very, very anal when it comes to their balls. To sit here and be naive and say that Tom Brady didn’t have any idea that the balls were under a certain level, I would have to say I don’t believe that.”
Thumbnail photo via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
