It's been 13 years since the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI. Even today, the stunning-at-the-time upset continues to rankle members of the heavily favored Rams. On Tuesday, former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner allowed that, yeah, maybe the whole deflate-gate business has provided fresh fuel to some long-held suspicions.
"I don't want to believe that there was anything outside of his team beat our team," Warner said, per the New York Daily News. "That's what I want to believe. Yeah, there's a sliver of a doubt … Was there any advantage they gained in any game? Not just our Super Bowl game, but maybe a game before that to get to the Super Bowl. All those things enter your mind. It's not because I'm bitter. It's not because I say they cheated, because I have no idea."
Warner noted that quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are clearly all-time talents, but that this latest scandal continues to taint their legacy. "It adds a sliver of doubt, which I think is unfair to everybody," he said. "It's unfair to them and their legacy. It's unfair to me and my legacy. I don't want to have to wonder, 'Well, did they beat me fair and square or was there something extra?' That's the unfortunate part that I don't think you'll ever get over, because you know something was done outside the rules. I have no idea how it helped them. I don't know if it gave them an advantage on one play that turned into an interception or touchdown. Or gave them no advantage. I don't know."
Warner's former teammate Marshall Faulk didn't hem at all when he spoke on the issue two years ago, saying he would "never be over being cheated out of the Super Bowl."
The Patriots have consistently denied any institutional wrongdoing in the deflate-gate matter, with attention now focusing on a "rogue ball-boy" who may have deflated the balls of his own volition. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has professed the team's innocence and demanded an apology from the NFL should an investigation exonerate the team.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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