Charles Haley sees something wrong with Tom Brady’s jewelry collection.
Brady won his fourth Super Bowl title with the New England Patriots on Sunday, making him arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history. But Haley, the only player in league history with five rings, still places Joe Montana — his former teammate — well above Brady based on rather controversial logic.
“Joe didn’t have to cheat. I’ve lost all respect (for Brady),” Haley said in an interview with Talk of Fame Network. “When your integrity is challenged in the game of football, to me, all his Super Bowls are tainted.
“You have to say this just didn’t happen overnight. Who wants that shadow over them? I could be wrong. But I realize there were 12 balls deflated and 12 ain’t. Then you’ve got (Patriots head coach Bill) Belichick coming on three different times trying to explain it. … You know something is wrong.”
Haley, who won two rings with Montana in San Francisco, obviously is referencing the DeflateGate controversy, which dominated headlines in the two weeks leading up to the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL’s investigation into whether the Patriots manipulated the footballs they supplied for their AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts is ongoing, but Haley already has drawn his own conclusions.
“This is what Charles Haley believes — it’s going to come back to haunt (Brady) one day,” Haley said. “If the league doesn’t come down on this guy … everybody is talking about it. Nobody believes it was by accident. It is what it is.
“I’m not going to take any of his Super Bowl rings away from him. But it’s sad that it has to be tainted like it is right now. Hopefully they’ll come out and let us know what really happened. Then all the mystery is gone.”
Haley, a five-time Pro Bowl pick, was just elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brady someday will join him, regardless of whatever dark cloud the former linebacker/defensive end wants to cast over the Patriots quarterback.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
