Tom Brady and the New England Patriots used doctored footballs 11 years ago in 2004, former NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley said Wednesday.
Feeley, who played backup quarterback for the Eagles and the Dolphins,
told Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic that when the Dolphins were up against the Patriots, Brady would get a broken-in football when his team was on offense, whereas the Dolphins received a brand-new ball.
“Prior to Tommy and Peyton Manning going to the league and saying, ‘Let us doctor our balls,’ we used to all play with the same balls,” Feeley told 97.5. “Somehow this beat-up ball from the ball boy was getting thrown in on offense for New England, yet when we were on offense this orange brand new ball was getting thrown in.”
The controversial Deflategate spiked public attention since Brady got a four-game suspension last week and the Patriots received a $1 million fine. Many have argued that most quarterbacks “doctor” the football in their favor.
“One of the most underrated aspects of the entirety of Deflategate is that in 2006, based largely on the lobbying of Brady and Peyton Manning, the NFL agreed to let each team handle their own
footballs during a game,” USA Today Sports reported. “This was an obvious mistake that would clearly backfire, as it did with Deflategate. But, as has been noted for months, the silence of other quarterbacks has been deafening. If some of them aren’t doing the same thing, then Tom Brady doesn’t have a handsome, dimpled chin.”
Feeley told 97.5 that he said something about Brady getting the broken-in ball to coaches, but no one seemed to be upset about it.
After his interview caused a firestorm of online comments, Feeley clarified to 97.5, specifically pointing out that he didn’t say Brady had anything to do with that broken-in ball being used:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.