Aaron Rodgers is setting the story straight about how he likes his balls.
The Packers quarterback on Wednesday refuted an old NFL legend from the time of the “Deflategate” controversy, which claimed that Rodgers preferred his footballs filled with more air than the rules allow.
“There was a narrative used during Deflategate that I like footballs overinflated,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “And this came from a comment that Phil Simms said live on-air.”
“Deflategate” caught the nation’s attention when Tom Brady was suspended for using under-inflated balls against the Colts in the 2014 (AFC) Championship Game.
“This is what happened, we had a production meeting with CBS crew and Phil Simms said, ‘In the winter time, do you intentionally deflate the balls to get a better grip of the footballs?'” the 3-time NFL MVP said.
Rodgers, who said he was “taken aback” by the question, told Simms he can’t throw a flat ball due to his big hands and strong grip pressure. He’d prefer an over-inflated ball to an under-inflated one, he said.
Aaron Rodgers is still debunking a narrative stemming from a 2015 chat with Phil Simms. AP Photo; Getty Images (Inset)“Then [Simms] goes on air and says I like the balls overinflated,” Rodgers said. Despite pushing back in that meeting, Simms “decided to go tell this story on national television… he obviously misspoke and that thing turned into a bigger thing than it needed to be.”
So much so, the statement was used by Tom Brady’s lawyers during the “Deflategate” court hearings.
“That’s how things can go from a production meeting question… to me saying, ‘No I can’t throw a flat ball,’ to that being reported as that I overinflated the footballs, to that being used as the defense in a court case,” Rodgers said. “This is some of the ridiculousness stories can go from time to time.”
The 37-year-old clarified that he has no issue with Simms, saying he “enjoys” him and his analyst son, Chris.
Rodgers and the Packers visit the Bears on Sunday in Week 6.
