President Obama has jokes.
In honoring the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots at the White House on Thursday, the Commander-in-Chief didn't let the opportunity of bringing up their Deflate Gate scandal pass by. President Obama commented that he usually likes to joke during championship team ceremonies, but he's worried that "11 out of 12 might fall flat" with the Patriots.
"That whole story got blown a little out of proportion," he added as reported by ESPN.
The joke was in obvious reference to the Patriots' highly-publicized Deflate Gate controversy, in which the team was accused of deflating footballs during their AFC title win over the Indianapolis Colts to throw and catch easier in New England's cold conditions this past January. The joke didn't go over too well with the Patriots players, who barely broke a smile behind him.
When the President turned around to look at Bill Belichick, the veteran Patriots coach hesitantly smirked, before giving Obama the thumbs down. President Obama also joked about Belichick's notoriously haggard sideline fashion sense, offering him scissors in case he wanted to cut the sleeves of his suit off.
Quite possibly the funniest joke that Obama delivered on the South Lawn on Thursday was his dig at Patriots' fun-loving tight end Rob Gronkowski, telling him he had to keep his shirt on during the ceremony.
"He asked me what would happen if he took it off," Obama said, as reported by ESPN. "I said the Secret Service probably wouldn't like it. He said, 'What could they do to me?'"
As funny as the President's punchlines were, perhaps the best joke of the day was Darrelle Revis joining his former Patriots team in being honored Thursday. Reports of the star corner back joining the Pats on their White House trip panned out to be true, even though he signed to the New York Jets last month and is no longer a part of New England's organization. How awkward must it have been for Belichick? Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn't make the trip due to a previously-scheduled family engagement.
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