Patriots star: Was Obama drunk?

At least one New England Patriots player thought that perhaps President Obama was intoxicated when he joked Thursday about the team’s “Deflategate” scandal.

“I usually tell a bunch of jokes at these events, but with the Patriots in town, I was worried that 11 out of 12 of them would fall flat,” Obama said to audible groans during a ceremony for the Super Bowl champions on the South Lawn.

{mosads}After the ceremony, Patriots tight end and noted party animal Rob Gronkowski was asked whether his visit to the White House this year involved any alcohol.

“No, there’s no drinking. Maybe the president was getting wasted, from his ‘Deflate’ joke,” Gronkowski said, smiling, according to USA Today and CBS Boston.

“We’re still wondering as an organization about that, right?” Gronkowski added, turning to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, according to both news outlets. 

The Patriots’ championship bid this year was initially clouded by allegations a team employee had deflated nearly a dozen of the footballs for their AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL has not released an official report detailing its investigation into the Jan. 18 game.

During his remarks honoring the team and various players, including star quarterback Tom Brady, who skipped the event, Obama also joked about “Gronkowski just being Gronkowski” and said he had told the player to “keep his shirt on.”

“He asked me what would happen if he took it off. I said Secret Service probably wouldn’t like it. He said, ‘What could they do to me?’ ” Obama joked.

The Patriots previously were honored at the White House when former President George W. Bush was in office after winning the Super Bowl in 2002, 2004 and 2005.