Iron Mike has no time for Deflategate.
Sporting News recently asked Mike Ditka whether he believes the New England Patriots’ ball pressure scandal was overblown, and the legendary NFL player/coach put his foot down with an old school anecdote that suggests he’s not a fan of the drama.
“I think it’s overblown but that’s only my opinion,” Ditka said, per Sporting News. “I don’t think the New England Patriots or Tom Brady have to cheat to win. That’s only my opinion.
“You can spin it any way you want to and say, ‘Well, you can’t doctor the ball,’ ” he added. ” … When I was playing, we played in the cold at Wrigley Field. Balls have kind of a wax on them when they’re new. We had a solvent solution. We had all the ball boys and managers scrub all the wax off of them. When we played with a ball at Wrigley Field, it didn’t have that shiny look. We took it all off. That was so you could grip it. It was only common sense. I mean, it was below zero weather sometimes. You had this shiny stuff on it. That’s not conducive to good football, whether kicking it, throwing it or catching it. I could remember we did that. I can honestly say that. That’s when I was a player.”
Presumably, no one kicked up a fuss when Ditka and Co. manipulated footballs back in the day. But Deflategate is a whole different story, as Tom Brady is set to serve a four-game suspension to open the 2016 season, while the NFL Players Association could extend its legal fight against the league. It’s been a giant mess that has lasted 18 months to this point.
Oh, how times have changed.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
