Bill Simmons’ new HBO show Any Given Wednesday debuted this week, and of course he had to tab a fellow Boston guy as one of his first guests. That’s where Ben Affleck stepped in.
Affleck joined Charles Barkley as the show’s first few guests during its premiere, and Affleck’s appearance was something to behold. Naturally, the two Bostonians just couldn’t resist talking at length about Deflategate and how Tom Brady was victimized by Roger Goodell and his unfair process.
This turned what was previously a calm, cool and collected conversation into a bizarre, profanity-laced tirade by Affleck, who clearly had no reservations about outing himself as a typical Boston sports homer. By my count, Affleck unleashed 23 F-bombs in under six minutes while on the topic, most of which you can see in the video above.
Sure, the segment sent the show’s premiere off the rails a little bit, but it’s also a glimpse at why Simmons’ show has a lot of potential. Everyone is sick of Deflategate by now, but who else on television aside from Simmons has the ability to pull A-list celebrities and get them to sit down for completely unfiltered and uncensored conversations about sports and pop culture? That list might actually be shorter than Affleck’s patience when it comes to Goodell.
