As ‘Deflate-Gate’ continues, many are asking if New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick threw star quarterback Tom Brady under the bus in a press conference. Brady has responded in a press conference of his own. INSIDE EDITION explains.
New England Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady spoke out about the growing deflate-gate scandal.
Brady held a news conference late Thursday afternoon. He's under fire after 11 out of 12 footballs used by the Patriots were found to be improperly inflated in Sunday's victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
"I didn't alter the ball in any way," Brady said during the conference.
One reporter asked, "Is Tom Brady a cheater?"
He responded, "I don't believe so. I mean, I feel like I've always played within the rules I would never do anything to break the rules."
Just days ago, he and supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen were celebrating a trip to the Super Bowl, and Brady laughed off the scandal in a radio interview. He said, "I think I heard it all at this point. Oh God! It's ridiculous. I don't even respond to stuff like this."
In the conference Brady added, "Things are going to be fine, this isn't ISIS, you know, no one's dying, but we'll get through this."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick also broke his silence, saying, "I was shocked to learn of the news reports about the footballs. I had no knowledge whatsoever of this situation until Monday morning."
He seemed to throw Brady under the bus with one remark. He stated, "Tom's personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about."
In one just-discovered 2011 radio interview where Brady praised tight-end Rob Gronkowski for how he spiked the football after a touchdown, he said, "He spikes the ball and he deflates the ball which I love that because I like, you know, the deflated ball."
Deflate-gate is dividing the nation. Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann told CNN that taking air out of a football is no big deal. He said, "It's negligible the difference in them. I think this is a lot to do about nothing."
But, on the Today show, former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward disagreed. He said, "It's cheating. I mean, regardless of how you may want to spin it, it helps Tom Brady and provides a better grip on the football."
In the background of one picture from the press conference, behind Belichick as he spoke on live TV, was an ad for, of all things, Gillette's FlexBall Razor!
Twitter immediately exploded: "Maybe #Flexball isn't the best backdrop when addressing allegations you under-inflated footballs," said one tweet.
Meanwhile, INSIDE EDITION got a sneak preview of one of the sexiest Super Bowl ads ever. It features 21-year-old model Charlotte McKinney, who some call the next Kate Upton, in an ad for the hamburger restaurant chain Carl's Jr.
We spoke to Michelle Castillo, a digital media reporter at Adweek. She said, "If you want to stand out you gotta bring your biggest you gotta bring your boldest, and, with this ad, I think Carl's Jr. might have a hit." It's sure to take everyone's mind off deflate-gate.
