Ex-Bucs QB Says He Paid To Have Footballs Altered Before Super Bowl
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson says he "paid some guys off" to scuff the footballs that were used in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Johnson told the Tampa Bay Times that it cost him $7,500 to make sure all 100 footballs -- the league was supposed to ensure they were in mint condition for the game -- were altered to his liking before the big game.
The Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21. Johnson completed 18 of 34 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"I paid some guys off to get the balls right," he said, according to the newspaper. "I went and got all 100 footballs, and they took care of all of them."
Johnson's comments were published by the Tampa Bay Times after the NFL launched an investigation into whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated footballs used in Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The NFL found that 11 of 12 footballs used by the Patriots' offense were under under-inflated, making them easier to grip, according to ESPN.