Rob Gronkowski shares his take on why "deflategate" really happened

AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots
AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots / Jim Rogash/GettyImages
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Is there really ever going to be a time when Patriots fans and players have collectively moved on from the years-long drama that was deflategate? Because it wouldn't seem that way, nor should anyone be expected to emotionally and mentally accept all that Roger Goodell and the league imposed upon the team.

Fans outside New England would likely disagree with that notion, but considering the longevity of the situation and the unjust treatment of Tom Brady and the team, it feels completely acceptable for it to always be a trigger to Patriots fans.

It also appears to still invoke that same reaction for guys like Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, who discussed the beginning of the saga in the most recent episode of "Games With Names" on YouTube.

Maybe it's been almost nine years since the infamous game that set off the debate of properly inflated footballs, but the two former Patriots responded much like fans do and mocked the Colts for crying about losing a game despite being blown out.

"It was a competitive advantage!"

Being reminded of the Colts crying about a game they lost 45-7 makes that line even funnier, especially since the Patriots played even better in the second half after the officials claimed to have "fixed the air pressure of the footballs."

So, if deflating the footballs was advantageous for New England, how come they performed better once they were back to the legal limit? Just something to ponder.

It's also funny to consider the number of people who still believe something nefarious happened in that game, regardless of the outcome and the shady behavior of the NFL in the years afterward.

Besides suspending Brady because Goodell had to prove he was the judge, jury, and executioner, the league hid critical data they had collected during the 2015 season measuring the air pressure of footballs during halftime.

Mysteriously, that information went missing, and never saw the light of day. Coincidence? Doubtful.

Edelman and Gronk's reactions are worth having to discuss this nonsense in the year 2023 alone, mainly because we've never really gotten to hear their perspective, or any Patriots player's for that matter, about the whole ordeal. Any time it's been spoken about, it was button-up answers that never revealed too much.

This just proves they were feeling the exact same way as the fans did and still do, and they continue to hate the Colts for the entire thing, which is very relatable.

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