Joe Montana: 'So What' If Tom Brady Was Involved In Deflating Footballs?

Joe Montana doesn’t care too much for all of the Deflategate talk.

The legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback is the guy Tom Brady is most often compared to, so it should come as no surprise that he’s been asked about the New England Patriots signal-caller’s involvement with deflated footballs. And not only does Montana think that bending the rules isn’t a huge deal, he joked that he would have done it himself.

“I wish I’d known (it could make a difference) because I couldn’t throw a wet ball to save my life,” Montana told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently. “Heck, I would’ve thought about (deflating the ball), sure.”

The four-time Super Bowl champ said he’s no stranger to seeing guys in the NFL break the rules, either.

“Everybody is trying to do something different,” Montana said. “Our offensive linemen used to spray silicone on their shirts until they got caught. Once you get caught, you get caught. Period. It doesn’t take anything away from Tom’s game. But how long has he been doing it? I don’t know.”

Montana told the Tribune-Review that he finds the whole Deflategate saga “funny,” and he thinks that people need to move on. He called Brady a great quarterback regardless of the fact that he believes it’s likely Brady had some involvement in the scandal.

“It is one of those things that is a rule, right?” Montana said. “It might be a dumb rule, but it doesn’t matter. He didn’t deflate them himself, but you can pick up the ball and can tell if it is underinflated, overinflated or what you like. Everybody is afraid to say it, but if the guy did it, so what. Just pay up and move on. It’s no big deal.”