Light: Attention paid to Deflategate ‘absolutely insane'

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BOSTON -- Matt Light made it pretty clear how he felt about all the attention that has been paid to the Deflategate controversy.

Speaking to reporters before the start of Rob Ninkovich's charity event "Ninko's Ping Pong Challenge" at Blazing Saddles, Light called out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the league office and others who -- in Light's words -- have contributed to "the circus."

Asked when people may be inclined to stop talking about Deflategate, the Wells Report and the Patriots response to the investigation, Light unloaded.

"We probably won't," he said. "But here's what I say. When it comes to the pressurization of a pigskin, I have a lot of deep thoughts. Like the kind with Jack Handy. Remember the old 'Deep thoughts' [from Saturday Night Live]? Remember those? I've got a lot of deep thoughts about that.

"What we really need is an open forum. On every talk show in Boston we should talk about it...but with me. I'm gonna put a target on my chest and say that I'm gonna go after everyone that wants to have a conversation about Deflategate. Find me. I'll be available for the next two weeks, and we're gonna get it on. Sound good? Would that be entertaining? Can we bring some common sense to this?"

Light vowed to take the attention that's been paid to Deflategate and redirect it in a positive way. He's started a website -- www.inflationnationraffle.org -- where people can enter to win a trip on a private jet to next year's Patriots-Colts game in Indianapolis. Proceeds from the raffle will help pay for kids to attend Light's outdoors camp at Chenoweth Trails in Ohio.

"Here's the deal," Light said. "Go to inflationnationraffle.org, and when it's all said and done, if you feel the way I do about this ridiculous circus that Roger Goodell and the rest of his little buddies in the league office put together, if you think it's absolutely insane, then side with me, get a chance to go to Indianapolis on a private jet, see the game, enjoy the weekend.

"We're gonna turn a circus into something positive. We'll send a lot if kids to camp. You know what? Roger, if you're listening, we may raise enough money to actually have you attend one of our leadership camps."

Light added: "We're gonna raise a lot of money with stupid stupid banter, but we're gonna have fun with it. We're gonna turn it into a positive."

Light, who was a teammate of Tom Brady's from 2001-11, was prompted to go on another long rant when he was asked how he felt about the light in which Brady has been portrayed since the Deflategate story initially broke after the AFC Championship Game.

"I think that's what we need to talk about," Light said. "I think the overall New England nation needs to heal. We've had crazy things happen, aside from the fact that we won another championship, a world championship...

"But we had every single guy on that team called into question, when it comes to his character, integrity. And here's the one thing I would leave you with before we get into a really serious debate over the next few weeks. Felger and Mazz, they should be the first ones that I call because I would love, I would love to just combat the idiocy of those two. But if you're a cheater, right, have you ever seen cheaters put in as much time as Bill [Belichick] and his staff put in every single day, day in and day out?

"Here's a great message that we should send every kid across the country because unlike Juan Williams of Fox News going all the way back to right before this game was played, right before the Super Bowl, he made the statement, 'What message does this send to our kids?' When there were zero facts, the NFL hadn't made a statement, and that guy makes a statement like that.

"Here's a question. What message does it send when you can convict people that work their tails off and are awesome people and give back and lead by example and do things the right way? What message does that send when you can convict them without anything? Let's get it on. I'm ready."

Over the last few months, Light has seen everyone from Kraft to Belichick and Brady called out by different entities. He explained that he doesn't have to defend any of them, but he does want to use his platform -- in interviews with members of the media and elsewhere -- to encourage common sense.

"I've never had to defend Bill, the Krafts or anybody else. They're big guys," he said. "They can handle their own. But what we do need is common sense, which is what we're lacking in large quantities at this point."

Light suggested that, like the Spygate controversy in 2007, this situation has also garnered more attention than need be.

"[It wasn't] blown out of portion to the ridiculous point this has been," Light said. "Pretty sad state we're in right now but we'll get it done. We'll fix it."

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