As another New England Patriots controversy captivates the NFL -- this time it's deflated footballs -- an old Super Bowl tale has surfaced and it involves your Oakland Raiders.

Brad Johnson, who quarterbacked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 48-21 thrashing over the Raiders in the Super Bowl XXXVII 12 years ago, said he paid some people to scuff all the bowls prior to the game so they would become easier to handle.

"I paid some guys off to get the balls right," Johnson said. "I went and got all 100 footballs, and they took care of all of them."

Do I think the Raiders got hosed? No. The key here is all of the footballs were affected. Johnson's act made it easier for players on both sides. There's a "nothing to see (or feel) here" type situation. On his Sirius XM radio show, the Raiders quarterback that day, Rich Gannon, addressed it as a non-story.

The Raiders know they were trounced, pristine footballs or not.