Ben Affleck defends 'Deflategate' rant

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ben Affleck stands by his expletive-filled rant against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell over "Deflategate."

During an interview Wednesday on the debut episode of HBO's "Any Given Wednesday," the New England-raised Affleck passionately criticized the NFL and Goodell for suspending New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for using underinflated footballs during a 2015 playoff game.

The Oscar winner says on Twitter that he used the F-word 18 times during the five-minute diatribe. Upon reflection, he says, "12 probably would have been sufficient."

He called the piece "one of my favorite interviews" and added, "#GoPats."

He also said that he hoped everyone would watch the "whole episode." Affleck was calmer during parts of the interview when he wasn't discussing the Patriots.