By Lew Patton
Charles Haley doesn’t even hesitate when asked who is the best quarterback of all time: to him it’s Joe Montana. Haley says the reason why he doesn’t consider Tom Brady is because Montana didn’t have to cheat by deflating balls the way Brady allegedly has done.
Haley, who won five Super Bowls as a player and was elected to the Hall of Fame last weekend, joined Talk of Fame Network for an interview and shared his opinions on Brady.
“Joe didn’t have to cheat,” Haley said. “I’ve lost all respect (for Brady). 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 coach Bill) Belichick coming on three different times trying to explain it… You know something is wrong.”
Haley’s information isn’t exactly correct, and the truth is the facts still have not emerged. Initial reports said most of the Patriots’ footballs were underinflated by a notable amount, while a recent report indicated most were only slightly deflated.
Haley says nobody believes that the balls were deflated by accident, which is actually what Montana said.
“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.”
I wouldn’t go so far as to say all of Brady’s Super Bowls are tainted, but there definitely has been some shadiness going on with the Patriots. Still, I really want to see what facts the NFL releases when they complete their investigation. There has been so much conflicting information we need to finally get answers. And as far as tainted Super Bowls go, don’t make us go there, Haley. Lots of teams have drug users, stash guys on IR, and employ other questionable practices, too. He should know about all that.
