TAMPA, Florida (KARE11) - If investigators find that footballs used in New England's AFC Championship rout of the Indianapolis Colts were tampered with, well, it doesn't sound like it was the first time it's been done.
A Florida newspaper is reporting that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson has admitted to paying a bribe to have footballs tampered with before the 2003 Super Bowl.
Johnson, whose Buccaneers won the big game by beating Oakland 48-21 at Super Bowl XXXVII, told the Tampa Bay Times that he paid $7,500 to have someone scuff the balls that would be used in the Super Bowl, making them easier to grip. According to Johnson, there were 100 footballs set aside for the game, and the unidentified people he bribed tampered with all 100, to Johnson's instructions.
"I paid some guys off to get the balls right," Johnson told the Tampa Bay Times. "I went and got all 100 footballs, and they took care of all of them."
NFL analyst Jon Gruden, who was Johnson's coach with the Bucs, said on ESPN Radio that he was aware that Johnson was concerned about being able to grip the balls in that game. Gruden did not say whether he was aware that Johnson cheated.
Johnson's comments are both shocking and timely as the NFL investigates whether the Patriots violated NFL rules by deflating footballs in their blowout win over the Colts. There is one significant difference: the balls that Johnson allegedly had scuffed were used by both teams, while the balls in question during last weekend's AFC championship would have been used only by the Patriots.
