Report: Ex-NFL QB paid $7,500 to have balls doctored at Super Bowl

While the New England Patriots "deflate-gate" saga continues to unfold, the Tampa Bay Times is reminding NFL fans that former quarterback Brad Johnson admitted that he "paid some guys off" to tamper with footballs before Super Bowl XXXVII.

Johnson, who led the Buccaneers to the NFL championship over the Raiders in 2003, told the newspaper in 2012 that he had difficulty gripping brand new footballs. Johnson said the NFL provided 100 footballs for the big game and he wanted to be sure the balls were scuffed before kickoff.

"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."

The former quarterback, now 46, says he forked over $7,500 to get the job done.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Johnson first revealed his scheme a few years ago before the Bucs' Super Bowl team's 10-year reunion.

According to CBSSports.com NFL insider Jason La Canfora, doctoring footballs is nothing new. Former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon -- who was the losing quarterback in Super Bowl XXXVII -- told La Canfora that "this kind of stuff has been going on forever" and "everybody does it."

"Ask any quarterback, and this is a non-issue," said Gannon, now a CBS in-booth analyst. "Everybody does something, to them. It's like a pitcher, he wants the ball a certain way. Take Tiger Woods, you wouldn't tell him after he's been hitting a 10.5 degree loft all week with a certain ball that, 'Hey, now we're going to switch your ball out.' That's his thing, and it's that specific feel that you want. That football is how we make our living and it sounds crazy, but it's a sacred thing. It's got to be a certain way."

Johnson did not specify exactly what was done to the balls. According to the Los Angeles Times, the NFL uses a "machine similar to an electric golf-shoe buffer" to break in new footballs. And Yahoo Sports says teams are allowed "to condition a dozen balls to their liking" in games before the Super Bowl.

The reminder about Johnson's confession comes as the NFL says its investigation into whether the Patriots used under-inflated footballs in the AFC championship game is ongoing after a report Tuesday night claimed the league found 11 balls were not properly inflated.

Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president for football operations, told The Associated Press that the "investigation is currently underway and we're still awaiting findings."

The Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona.