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New England Patriots and Deflate-Gate; GloZell Interviews President Obama; Is the Patriot Football Scandal Overblown?

Aired January 23, 2015 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Any notion of foul play denied by the star quarterback.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Tom Brady a cheater?

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I don't believe so. I mean I feel like I've always played within the rules. I would never do anything to break the rules.

MACHADO: Earlier Thursday, Belichick saying he, too, was shocked to hear about the allegations.

BILL BELICHICK, HEAD COACH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I had no knowledge whatsoever of this situation until Monday morning. I'd say I've learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew or had talked about in the last 40 years.

MACHADO: But many are still suspicious after spy-gate, a cheating incident in which the Patriots, in violation of league rules, videotaped coaching signals from the New York Jets in 2007. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman pointing the finger directly at Brady.

TROY AIKMAN, FORMER DALLAS COWBOYS QUARTERBACK: Or the balls have been deflated, that doesn't happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that.

MACHADO: And Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman also casting doubt on New England's golden boy.

RICHARD SHERMAN, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS CORNERBACK: People somehow get a skewed view of Tom Brady, that he's just a clean cut, does everything right and never says a bad word to anyone. And we know him to be otherwise.

MACHADO: But Patriots players standing by their quarterback and their coach.

BRANDON LAFELL, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER: In this locker room, we don't believe that, (INAUDIBLE). You know, we went out there and won a game fair and square.

JONAS GRAY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK: They know that we do it the right way and they know that we've got a lot of high character guys in this locker room, guys that work hard, put a lot of work in and we earn those wins.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO: In an interesting twist, Brady told reporters that no one from the NFL has directly contacted him about the investigation. The NFL, meanwhile, is only saying that they are investigating and they would not comment on any details of this review.

Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go with the five things you need to know for your new day.

Number one, a funeral is being held this morning for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. His death leaving uncertainty about America's dwindling influence in the Middle East.

The U.S. losing a key partner in the war on terror with the collapse of Yemen's government. There is concern the leadership vacuum could allow al Qaeda to gain more power.

Well, the deadline has passed. The fate of two Japanese hostages held captive by ISIS is unclear now. The terrorists threatening to kill those men if they don't receive a $200 million ransom.

Iraq desperately looking to buy more weapons from the west to fight ISIS and hoping to use credit. Iraq says it can't afford to pay cash after taking a massive revenue hit from plunging oil prices.

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady deny any involvement, as you heard, with under inflated footballs. The NFL is investigating. Brady says no one from the league has contacted him yet.

We do update those five things to know, so be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Mic. And when we're talking about deflate-gate, the question is now, who is behind it? Why did it happen? Bill Belichick says, it wasn't me. Tom Brady also denying any involvement. Did they make the case? Are they compelling? We'll discuss.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, she's a YouTube sensation who got the rare opportunity to interview the president. GloZell Green tells us all about her now viral interview with Barack Obama and her sparkly lips. Hello.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLOZELL GREEN, YOUTUBE SENSATION: This is dependent on the Supreme Court ruling - BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

GREEN: But do you think that same-sex marriage will be legalized in all of the United States during the time that you're in office?

OBAMA: My hope is that they go ahead and recognize what I think the majority of people in America now recognize, which is two people who love each other --

GREEN: Yes.

OBAMA: And are treating each other with respect and aren't bothering anybody else, why would the law treat them differently?

GREEN: Why?

OBAMA: Why?

GREEN: I mean, why?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: She is a YouTube sensation known for her big personality and green lipstick. Yesterday, content creator GloZell got to grill the leader of the free world. Oh, yes, the comedian was one of three YouTube stars to sit down with the president in the first ever YouTube interviews. GloZell joins me live this live this morning from Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.

You are having a pinch me moment, aren't you?

GREEN: Yes. Thank you for having me on.

PEREIRA: Are you kidding? We had to talk to you. You sat down, Ms. GloZell, of some millions and millions of YouTube subscribers -

GREEN: Yes.

PEREIRA: And interviewed the president of the United States. Ever in your life did you think this would happen?

GREEN: No, no, never in my life. And this is -- and I went to both inaugurations. I froze. But I didn't think that I was going to ever meet him, nonetheless interview him. So I'm excited.

PEREIRA: OK, so let's talk about the lead-up. You get a call and they say, hey, we'd like you to interview the president of the United States. Did you think it was a joke, first off?

GREEN: I thought it was a joke. I didn't even respond the first time because I didn't believe it. They didn't -- I'm like, I didn't believe it at all. It didn't make sense.

PEREIRA: So then you start screaming, you freak out, you tell your family -

GREEN: Yes.

PEREIRA: And then you get down to work because you hit all the tough headlines. You hit all the topics. How did you prepare?

GREEN: Well, I asked my fans, what subjects do you think are important? So I had to ask what the people who watch me want me to say.

PEREIRA: Right.

GREEN: I was the mouth piece for my fans and my family.

PEREIRA: And how did your fans react? What's the reaction been?

GREEN: They have been overjoyed because I guess they were a little nervous, like, can GloZell pull this off? Like, we haven't seen her like this before. We've seen her (INAUDIBLE) and act like (ph) a fool, but, you know -- so it was very good.

PEREIRA: OK. So as -- I want to ask about that because you have done some incredible, some crazy things online, but interviewing the president of the United States is a different kind of thing. Did you find yourself getting a case of the butterflies? Did you feel you had to sit up straight, make sure that green lip gloss was just perfect before you talked to the president?

GREEN: Yes. And I usually don't wear a dress. So I had to make sure - make sure your legs are together and look him straight in the eye and I'm like, oh, my goodness, he's so good looking. So I was like, don't think about that.

PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE).

GREEN: Just keep going. And I was good. So by the time I got to the lipstick, I was like, ok, few, it's over. And that's when I messed up.

PEREIRA: Oh, can we talk about that just for a second. Let's play it for those at home that haven't seen this moment, because it's so darling. It really is. We have to show what happened when you wanted to give the president a bit of a gift. Here's what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREEN: I have green lipstick. One for -

OBAMA: Yes.

GREEN: Your first wife -

OBAMA: My first wife?

GREEN: I mean - I mean -

OBAMA: Do you know something I don't?

GREEN: Oh, oh, for the first lady. OBAMA: One for the first lady.

GREEN: And the first children.

OBAMA: And the first children. Oh, I'm just -

GREEN: OK. All right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: But it was such an unscripted moment. Are you kicking yourself this morning?

GREEN: Yes.

PEREIRA: Oh, geez. It was a slip of the tongue.

GREEN: The first lady. The first lady. His only wife, y'all.

PEREIRA: Only wife. So have you, obviously, probably woke up this morning and probably smacked your forehead and said, oh, geez.

GREEN: Yes.

PEREIRA: Did you reach out back to the White House or to anybody or did you send a tweet to apologize?

GREEN: I did. I tweet the first - I tweeted the first lady. I said, sorry, #firstlady. So --

PEREIRA: Did you get any retweets? Any reaction?

GREEN: Oh, I got some retweets. Well, they're like, it's OK. It's OK.

PEREIRA: It's OK.

GREEN: But I'm still, you know.

PEREIRA: So let me ask you, going into this, what did you want to get out of this experience? What did you specifically want to hear from the president?

GREEN: I wanted to get out of this experience that I had something to say and represent a lot of different people. I mean, my fans are very spread out with different cultures, different races, so I wanted to make sure that those questions were asked at least so my fans know that I feel that it's important and maybe something get done more than what it has been.

PEREIRA: Well, the president has said that, you know, this is the power of the Internet, to reach all of these different types of people in different areas, in different neighborhoods and you're a prime example of that.

I've got to talk about the -- maybe it's some nontroverse (ph). You know there's some people in my field, in the world of journalism, that turned a little green with envy because you got to sit down with the president of the United States after the State of the Union. Some of us in our field, you know, would love to have that opportunity. There's a little bit of peanut butter and jealousy, as Chris likes to say. What do you say to that?

GREEN: I think it's great because when you're online, you get some hate mail anyway. So now my haters are very high class people. So I feel like I've moved up. So, thank you. You know, (INAUDIBLE) to follow (ph).

PEREIRA: High class haters.

GREEN: So this was nothing. I'm like, thank you. Rob Lowe said something negative about me. I'm like, what? Thank you. I didn't know you even knew who I was. Now you do. So I appreciate it. You so hot, so what do I care?

PEREIRA: What's next for GloZell?

GREEN: What is next for GloZell? Well, let's see. I hope to do some more television shows and I have some more challenges coming up. So, please just stay tuned. It's been exciting and fun. SO, thank you very much.

PEREIRA: I'm going to tell you - I'm going to tell you how you've influenced me. I'm going to do -- since you've delved into my world, I'm going to delve into your world. I had them make up a little blue lipstick, because I'm not a green girl, and I'm just going to give a little --

GREEN: Yes. Yes.

PEREIRA: Yes. I'm just going to do a little of this. Uh-huh.

GREEN: Oh, beautiful. Work it, honey. Work it.

PEREIRA: What do we think? Huh?

GREEN: Oh, yes.

PEREIRA: OK.

GREEN: Yes, go get you some - yes, that's (INAUDIBLE) --

PEREIRA: No mirror too, by the way. I haven't put lip gloss on for a minute.

GloZell, thanks so much for joining us and thank you for sharing your experience at the White House with us.

GREEN: Thank you.

PEREIRA: And let us know what you think, lipstick or not, GloZell, what did you think of her interview with the president? Tweet us or go to our FaceBook page, facebook.com/newday.

I better go get this off.

CAMEROTA: You look good.

CUOMO: Blue lipstick. That was my thing in the '80s.

CAMEROTA: That looks good.

PEREIRA: You did not wear black lipstick. Oh, my.

CAMEROTA: You and divo (ph).

That looks great.

CUOMO: I'll tell you what I've learned, you need to have a picture of yourself over your shoulder at all times.

CAMEROTA: I'm surprised you don't.

CUOMO: Strong. And if swimming in cereal is wrong, I don't want to be right.

PEREIRA: Right? What's right? What's right?

Can I give you a kiss with this on, Chris?

CUOMO: Absolutely. You can give me a kiss no matter what you have on. Come on over.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, nobody's kissing them right now, I'll tell you that. They're denying they had anything to do with deflate- gate. So, who is responsible for taking the air out of those 11 balls in Sunday's AFC title game? And what's the NFL going to do now. We'll discuss.

Give me some. Come on. Come on.

CAMEROTA: Pretty. Pretty.

CUOMO: Come on.

PEREIRA: Muah.

CUOMO: There it is. Whoa! That's not coming off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the Patriots are found to have knowingly under inflated the balls, they might lose draft picks and the league could take away Bill Belichick's favorite hoodie. Gloria Allred is now representing 9 of the 11 balls Tom Brady allegedly squeezed.

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: That's what the press is calling it, deflate gate, which means now my wife will have to use a different term to describe our honeymoon. (END VIDEOCLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: They were pretty good, but you know what, the "New York Post," if they're good at anything, they're pretty good at coming up with phrases for something like this. Take a look at this one, shabam!

PEREIRA: Oh. Oops.

CUOMO: You see it?

PEREIRA: Oops.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: Right on the line, right on the line. Tom Brady has spoken, he's given his answer, but he hasn't spoken to the NFL. Where is the league once again? Anyway, the Patriots quarterback says the league hasn't attempted to interview him, and even if they did, he doesn't have anything to tell them because he doesn't have any idea who took the air out of those 11 footballs in Sunday's AFC game.

So, was it the result of nefarious intent, or is this just how the game is played? Let us discuss. Mike Pesca, host of "The Gist with Mike Pesca" on Slate, and George Martin, big and in good shape, former New York Giant, author of "Just Around the Bend," and former president of the NFL Player's Association. I put it to you, Pesca.

MIKE PESCA, HOST, "THE GIST WITH MIKE PESCA": Yes.

CUOMO: There is a rule, it seems it was broken, it seems there is a penalty for that rule if the league can get it's act together and actually put together - - connect some dots. What is the deal here, and what should be the importance?

PESCA: I would say the media has gone totally mad. I would say we've inflated this story from what is at worst a misdemeanor to a felony. I understand this is Super Bowl and I understand the Patriots are a loathed team and they have a history of cheating. I also understand that the league should have gotten more involved. In baseball, Michael Pineda, there was some substance on him, 12 hours later he was talking to the league. So, just do that. But this is so - - I don't mean this as a pun - - so over blown it is unbelievable. A ball was half a PSI, 1 PSI a little flat. It really doesn't matter, except that it does.

CAMEROTA: George, are we over inflating this?

GEORGE MARTIN, FORMER NFL PLAYER, NEW YORK GIANTS: Yes, I think it's much to do about nothing. I think when you look at the outcome of the game, a deflated ball had nothing to do with the differential in the score, and I think that because of New England's past transgressions they don't get the benefit of the doubt unfortunately. But I think Tom Brady is being somewhat disingenuous because quarterbacks are keenly aware of those subtle nuances when it comes to game conditions and the ball conditions, so I think that he was a bit disingenuous in his press conference.

PEREIRA: But, hold on, guys, what about the fact that we hear all of these other players. We hear Troy Aikman, we hear Richard Sherman, we hear other organizations saying flag on the play, if you will.

PESCA: Fine. Well, Richard Sherman has an opportunity to do something about that on the field, right? People look to football to do things that football can't do, like to be arbiters of morality or all that is right and good. This is, to me, gamesmanship. There is a penalty in the books for this, it's a $25,000 fine. Do the math, that is one 500th of Tom Brady's salary. That is nothing in the $10 billion industry that is the NFL. It's as nefarious as when the receiver goes to make a catch and pretended he had it, but he knows it hit the ground. You always try to do this. It's not that big of a deal.

CUOMO: Also, you have to remember, context matters. If you were to have, like, a candid conversation with Tom Brady about him trying to get the balls as soft as they can be, maybe he'd admit it. But now, when you're trying to pin something where people are trying to, like, change the fate of the Super Bowl, I think his answer is going to be a little different. Is it true, Pesca, that quarterbacks do manipulate the balls? Is that what Aikman was talking about? Is that something that's commonly done? We did hear Aaron Rodgers say I like it over inflated. How would he know if you're not allowed to over inflate it?

PESCA: Right, so, the inflation thing is standard, within 1 PSI, but, a few years ago, in 2006, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning got the rules committee to change the rules that quarterbacks can work over their own footballs. And Eli Manning, the "Times" had a great article on this, what they do to his ball.

CUOMO: What do they do to them?

PESCA: Oh, they take them, they scrape them, they spin them in a spinner, they water log them. I mean, they work them over like these balls aren't giving you information about the ticking time bomb; right? They do it three times. So, that compared to a little bit of deflation, I don't know. I think that this is all because of the biggest, most hyped media game of the year.

CAMEROTA: See, George, Mike calls this gamesmanship, but other people call it cheating. What do you think?

MARTIN: No, I agree, I agree with that. I think it's part of the gamesmanship. I mean, back when I played, it was illegal for us to put a foreign substance on your jersey, but we would spray ourselves down with silicone and, you know, so that the offensive linemen couldn't grab you.

PEREIRA: Not you, George.

MARTIN: Well, not me, but I saw some guys in the locker room do it. But, again, I think it's over blown, it has nothing to do with the final outcome of the game, and I think that, you know, there's been so many off the field infractions that the NFL has had to deal with, it's a shame that now they're dealing with these things on the field once again.

PEREIRA: So, George and Mike, I'll ask you both then, so you think this is just we needed something to hype up the pre-week before Super Bowl? Is that all it is? Is it anti-Patriotness?

PESCA: Sports -- I mean, sports gives us a chance to do things that we're not supposed to do with criminality, like come to - - jump to conclusions and throw away reasonable doubt. You know, it's kind of fun to do that, there seem to be less consequences, I mean, we're not going to take someone's liberty. Remember a couple of years ago when the Ravens were in the Super Bowl and there was all this much ado about deer antler spray?

PEREIRA: Oh, yes, yes, yes.

PESCA: Don't you think this is the deer antler spray redux (ph).

CUOMO: Do you think that works, the deer antler spray?

PESCA: Not as good as silicone, apparently.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: First of all, George, I heard that you used to put the silicone on yourself after the game when you would go out. Is that true?

PEREIRA: Hey, now.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: I think that's what Lawrence used, I'm not quite sure about - -

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Lawrence Taylor. How about your boy, Jim Burt, who used to wear that crazy jersey with all of the tape on it so guys couldn't grab him? That was gamesmanship, right? That was an official jersey.

MARTIN: Yes, it was absolutely gamesmanship, and they came back and they altered the rules where you can't alter your uniform, and they have a guy who walks the sideline to make sure that that doesn't happen. So, yes, it is a part of the game of gamesmanship.

CUOMO: You know who doesn't have to do this?

PEREIRA: What?

CUOMO: The Jets, because you don't have to cheat to - -

PEREIRA: Well, that's true. Okay, so here's one thing, though. Do you think any of this is going to have a lasting effect on the legacy of Coach Belichick?

PESCA: Yes, because I think the word legacy doesn't mean accomplishment, it means what other people think of your accomplishment. So, yes. I mean, I read so many columns yesterday, columnists saying this affects their legacy. Well, it becomes a tautology. If the columnist says I think less of you, well then, he's right. That means - -

CUOMO: Tautology, define.

PESCA: Tautology is sort of a self-evident truth.

PEREIRA: You're going to start using that word now.

PESCA: Circular reasoning. It's tautological.

CUOMO: That sounds dirty.

CAMEROTA: George, are we going to hear from Roger Goodell soon about this?

MARTIN: Yes, I think Roger has to come to the forefront and he has to kind of dissipate this a little bit, because it has taken on a life of it's own. But I don't think it's going to have a lasting impact on Bill Belichick. I think five years after his retirement he's going to go right into the Hall of Fame, where he rightly belongs.

CUOMO: Tom Brady is arguably one of the two or three best quarterbacks ever. Bill Belichick, same thing. The team just wins, and I don't like the Patriots, but that's just how it is.

PESCA: Yes.

CUOMO: I think.

PESCA: I'm with you. I don't - - people have accused me of being an apologist. I think I'm the only sane man in the room, well, George Martin, obviously.

CAMEROTA: All right, Mike, George , thank you.

PEREIRA: Great conversation.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, guys.

MARTIN: Our pleasure, thank you.

PEREIRA: Have a great Friday.

CUOMO: All right, so, a mom I'm going to tell you a story about who takes on two alleged criminals by herself and summons super human strength to do it. The unbelievable reason why makes it --

CAMEROTA: The Good Stuff.

CUOMO: Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Yes, we do. CUOMO: (INAUDIBLE) Unfortunately, Mike Pesca and Alisyn got into this

brawl all of a sudden during commercial.

PEREIRA: Oh, this is not the truth.

CUOMO: He hit her. She hit him back.

PEREIRA: That's so not true.

CUOMO: So she's putting some ice on her face.

PEREIRA: She's starting the weekend early. She had a flight to get to.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Time for the Good Stuff. Here's today's - -

PEREIRA: Tell her sorry (ph).

CUOMO: Today's edition, the strength of a mom. Okay, so this mom, Miranda from Katy, Texas, okay?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): She nearly gets hit by a speeding car in her sleepy neighborhood. The car is driven by two tough women being chased by the cops.

PEREIRA (voice-over): Uh-oh.

CUOMO: Suspected of passing bad checks. Weird thing for a car chase, but that's what it was. They run up on the curb, continue the chase on foot, and out of nowhere Miranda, all 110 pounds of her, ran after one of them and took her down.

PEREIRA: Get out of town.

CUOMO: Yes.

MIRANDA, STOPPED WOMAN RUNNING FROM POLICE: I told my husband I don't know where the strength came from, but I picked her up because she's probably twice my weight, and laid her down on the ground.

PEREIRA: What?

CUOMO: Don't mess with Texas. Where did Miranda find the strength? Turns out she was mad. Why? The women were speeding in a school zone.

PEREIRA: Oh.

CUOMO: Her kids' school zone. Miranda said, I cannot abide.

MIRANDA: If it had been a different time of the day, that would have been -- you know, could have caused a major accident. She could have killed somebody, and I said that to her when I had her on the ground.

CUOMO: Good time to have a talk. Both suspects charged for various crimes. Police say they're very grateful for Miranda's actions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (on camera): That is a momma bear, and don't mess with Texas.

CUOMO (on camera): It does remind me, the last time I crept onto Costello's time - -

PEREIRA: Oh, yes?

CUOMO: She came to me after her show was done, Carol Costello, put me on the ground, and said - -

PEREIRA: Put you in a headlock.

CUOMO: - - mind the clock, she said to me. So - -

PEREIRA: Which you aren't doing right now, are you?

CUOMO: It is time for the "NEWSROOM." I get you to Carol Costello with apologies.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I may be small, but I am mighty.

PEREIRA: That's right.

CUOMO: You are, you are no joke.

COSTELLO: Have a great weekend, I appreciate it. NEWSROOM starts now.