The New York Jets are loving the DeflateGate scandal that continues to hound the New England Patriots.
Believe it or not, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and center Nick Mangold aren’t buying the Patriots’ statements of innocence regarding the deflated balls controversy. Both players appeared in the Pro Bowl on Sunday night, and they didn’t pass up an opportunity to slam their AFC East rivals after the game.
The outspoken Richardson said he wasn’t exactly shocked to learn the Patriots were being accused of some rule-breaking, as he has come to expect this type of behavior out of his division rivals.
“That’s the Patriots,” Richardson told the New York Post. “I’m not surprised at all. If they ain’t winning with controversy, they ain’t winning.”
He then went on to mock the “Patriot Way.”
“It’s funny when they say, ‘We keep it professional and clean cut,’ ” Richardson added. “Because they don’t. They don’t at all.”
Mangold’s comments might not have been as pointed as his teammate’s, but the veteran center was suspicious that 11 of the 12 Patriots’ game balls were found to be under-inflated, while there were no issues with the Indianapolis Colts’ footballs in the AFC Championship Game.
“All 12 of (the Patriots’) balls having something wrong with them does tell you something is amiss,” Mangold said. “It does seem like it’s always something with the Patriots. It does seem that way.”
While the Jets might be reveling in New England’s troubles, they’re still the ones commenting on it from the Pro Bowl while the Patriots are preparing to do battle against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
