Kevin Costner Scolds Troy Aikman for Judging Tom Brady, Society Crumbles Further

This is it. I'm raising the air raid siren. The end is nigh.

Just when you think it's reached an impassable threshold—that it can be redlined no further—the clunking, headless leviathan of hot takes and ball jokes that is Deflategate shifts gears and plows onward toward new, unprecedented levels of inanity.

This latest shift comes courtesy of Kevin Costner, who took it upon himself to scold former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman for saying Tom Brady had a direct hand in the deflation of game balls prior to the AFC Championship Game.

HLNtv.com

Per The Dallas Morning News, Aikman told SportsRadio 1310 in Dallas on Thursday, "It's obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this [deflating the footballs]."

Costner found this statement overly harsh and weighed in on the matter on HLNtv's Morning Express on Friday morning. He claimed Aikman was making a bold statement by not believing the Patriots quarterback.

"It's bold talk," Costner said. "And I like Troy a lot and I like Tom a lot. And it's bold when you say somebody is lying."

Costner went on to defend Brady, saying he might've just liked the way the balls felt before the game and opted not to question their preparation.

"That's a tough place to be. Tom said he didn't know," Costner said. "Tom might've liked the feel of that ball and he didn't want to say anything about it. 'I really like the feel of that ball.' ... Maybe I'm sitting here being really naive."

This is the point where I'd typically tell Costner to tend to his corn stadium and stay in his lane, but there are no lanes anymore—not with Deflategate.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The Patriots' ball-deflating scandal has jumped track after track over the last five days. The takes have included ISIS references, Gisele Bundchen jibes and a wistful soliloquy on the mayhem New England's alleged treachery has wreaked upon the sheepskin boot market.

So yes, there are no passive observers or boundaries, and the takes are whipping in from all angles. Just keep your head down and try to stay alive out there.

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