Arguably the greatest wide receiver in NFL history is not immune to cheating, even if he is quick to judge others.
Multiple media outlets reported that Hall of Famer Jerry Rice admitted to not always sticking to the rules - just days before he launched into an accusatory offensive against the New England Patriots for their "Deflategate" episode.
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Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com reported that several readers sent a video that Rice did on ESPN for a segment on the evolution of football gloves dated Jan. 17, 2015. In it, Rice fesses up about his own bending of the rules for his own benefit.
Those comments were in stark contrast with an interview he conducted with Jim Rome on Jan. 22.
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The ESPN video was a lighthearted look at the history of gloves. The topic of stickum came up, and Hall of Famer James Lofton started the conversation by saying that a receiver simply could put an extended hand - or gloved hand - with stickum on it over a football, and the ball would stick to the hand.
That's when Rice chimed in on his own use of stickum, which was illegal by the time he played.
"I know this might be a little illegal, guys, but you put a little spray, a little stickum on them, to make sure that texture is a little sticky," Rice said, laughing.
Obviously, the comments were not a big deal. Then, Deflategate broke out with the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady being in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Rice just happened to be one of the former athletes that had harsh words for New England.
"I'm going to be point blank; I feel like it's cheating," Rice told Rome on Jan. 22. "Because you have an edge up on your opponent and it's unfortunate that it happened. I'm not saying the outcome of the game would have been different or anything like that because they got beat 45-7, but they still had an edge."
In that same interview, Rice added, "I've played in cold weather, I know how hard the football is and you can grip the leather [if deflated] just a little bit better."
You can catch it a lot easier if you have stickum on your gloves.
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