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NFL Legend Throws Shade at Patriots’ Tom Brady
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on December 9, 2018. [ALLEN EYESTONE/palmbeachpost.com] Allen Eyestone via Imagn Content Services, LLC

We all remember Deflategate, a scandal that resulted in New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL campaign.

While most simply brush off the incident at this point, there are still some who hold onto it and use it as a tactic to dismiss some of what Brady accomplished.

NFL legend Dan Marino appears to be in that group, as the former Miami Dolphins signal-caller brought up the whole Deflategate episode at Fanatics Fest.

When asked about his opinion on the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, Marino picked San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana and couldn't resist the opportunity to fire a shot at Brady.

“Tom Brady was pretty good too but he had deflated balls," Marino said.

While Marino may have been half-joking, the quip almost surely did not sit too well with Brady, who adamantly denied the allegations that he was using deflated footballs back in 2014.

Let's be honest here: Brady won seven Super Bowl rings, and three of them came after Deflategate even occurred. Heck, the year Brady was suspended four games, he went on to enjoy one of the best seasons of his career and won a championship.

Brady is universally recognized as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game for a reason. He captured seven Super Bowl titles overall and played in 10 of them. Those are numbers that may never be matched.

Montana won four championships, and while there is no question that he was also one of the best ever, most would agree that he isn't quite on Brady's level.

Marino himself is one of the best pure passers to ever step on the gridiron, but his lack of playoff success has always been a significant stain on his career.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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