TRAUMATIC AS THE COLTS COACH FIRED A QUARTERBACK ROOM FOR.

Nearly nine years have passed since the notorious AFC championship game from the 2014 season, in which the Patriots soundly defeated the Colts in front of the entire sports world. But the tale that unfolded after that game wasn’t about how powerful New England was; rather, it was about the beginning of the scandal known as Deflategate.

Rob Gronkowski, a former tight end for the Patriots, still despises Colts supporters for their part in it all.

On the Games With Names podcast with former teammate Julain Edelman, Gronkowski declared, “I absolutely hate the Colts, bro.” They needed to come up with some phony explanation for why they were losing us year after year. We weren’t just defeating them; we were really hammering that ass. They don’t appeal to me.

Gronkowski went on, “Like, you can’t be any bigger of a loser pulling that off.”

In order to win another Super Bowl, New England destroyed Indianapolis 45–7 on January 18, 2015. But after the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady were charged with deflating footballs to gain an advantage over opponents, controversy ensued. Brady was suspended for four games, and the team also lost two draft picks and paid a $1 million fine in 2016.

The Patriots were constantly called cheaters by Colts fans, and they would never forget it. Gronkowski is still upset about the criticism his team received for the lopsided victory to this day.