Charles Haley, the winner of a record five Super Bowls as a player, says Tom Brady’s record will be forever tainted by the Deflategate scandal.
Haley, speaking to the Talk of Fame, was asked how he would compare Brady with Joe Montana. Both players have four Super Bowl rings.
“Joe didn’t have to cheat,” said Haley, who played alongside Montana in two Super Bowl victories. “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 was known for his abrasive character during his career, but his comments still show the strong wave of feeling against the Patriots among some current and former NFL players.
“This is what Charles Haley believes – it’s going to come back to haunt him one day,” Haley added. “If the league doesn’t come down on this guy. ... Everybody is talking about it. Nobody believes it was by accident. It is what it is.
“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.”
Haley is one of 2015’s inductees into the Hall of Fame, alongside the likes of Jerome Bettis and the former Patriots linebacker Junior Seau.
