Actor Ben Affleck is a diehard Boston sports fan and has previously expressed his love for the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. This fandom was apparent during recent appearances on ESPN‘s Get Up and First Take. The man who previously played Batman even swore on live TV while discussing cheating scandals.
“I can tell you that Deflategate was bulls–,” Affleck said during his appearance on Get Up. “That was some totally made up, fraudulent claim. Excuse me for saying that.”
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The swearing actually took place while Affleck was discussing the sign-stealing scandal that has affected both the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox. He said that he was disappointed in the team and that they should have to suffer the consequences.
However, Affleck quickly transitioned to discussing a scandal from January 2015 in which the Patriots were accused of deflating footballs. He complained about the punishment levied against the Patriots while adding in an extra word that the censors couldn’t catch.
The viewers on social media appeared to find humor at the moment.
“anyone else watching ben affleck cuss all over espn this morning??? hahahahaha i love him,” one fan wrote.
This incident known as Deflategate resulted in an NFL investigation, as well as a $1 million fine and the loss of two draft picks. Quarterback Tom Brady was also suspended for four games as part of the punishment.
In terms of the 42-year-old quarterback, Affleck does believe that Brady is the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL. He did not appreciate the “cliff theory” that co-host Max Kellerman posed during a previous episode of First Take. Kellerman said that the veteran QB is a game manager at this point in his career and that he fell off of a cliff during the 2019 season.
“I think if you don’t recognize that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, you are not qualified to talk about sports,” Affleck said to Kellerman. “I say that with all due respect, but I don’t think that you can possibly look at all that he’s done in his career – his character, his achievement, his tremendous fan loyalty – and not say ‘this is the best quarterback who has ever played the game.’”
Affleck also revealed on First Take that he believes performance-enhancing substances are far worse for the sport. His opinion is that adding 30 pounds of muscle and increasing the number of home runs hit is a bigger advantage than knowing the pitch.
(Photo Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty)
