Pats' Super Bowl rally vs. Falcons cost Barkley $100K

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Apr 6, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Charles Barkley reacts in the second half in the semifinals of the 2019 men’s Final Four between the Virginia Cavaliers and Auburn Tigers at US Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 6, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Charles Barkley reacts in the second half in the semifinals of the 2019 men’s Final Four between the Virginia Cavaliers and Auburn Tigers at US Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Super Bowl LI will always have a special place in the memory of Patriots fans. But for Charles Barkley, New England's miracle comeback wasn't a miracle at all; it was a nightmare.

The Hall of Famer is well-known for his gambling, estimating he's lost well over $10 million over the years -- and he lost a boatload when the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to stun the Falcons with a 34-28 overtime victory.

How much did Barkley lose? On Wednesday's Dan Patrick Show, he revealed the amount: $100,000.

The only time I've lost in the last three or for years? Those Atlanta Falcons," Barkley told Patrick as he made a choking motion. "The Atlanta Falcons -- what they've done in the Super Bowl and what they did against the Cowboys (blowing a 39-24 lead with five minutes to play in Week 2 to lose 40-39) are two of the biggest choke jobs in the history of civilization."

That regular season loss was bad, but the Super Bowl collapse ranks as one of the worst in sports history, especially considering the stage. The Falcons, who were underdogs by anywhere from 3 to 4.5 points, took a 21-3 lead into halftime, and Barkley thought he would cruise to some easy money.

"I was drunk at halftime. I was doing shots,' Barkley explained. "I was up 28-3. I was feeling it. And then one of my friends, Roy Green says, 'Yo, man, the game's not over yet.' I said, 'Dude, we're up 28-3.' And then he says, 'No man, the Falcons are playing not to lose. They're trying to walk the ball up and down the court to let the shot clock go down.' And he was 100 percent correct."

Atlanta's lead ballooned to 28-3 midway through the third quarter before Tom Brady led the Patriots on five consecutive scoring drives while Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense sputtered with an assist from some questionable play-calling from Kyle Shanahan when a late field goal could have put the game on ice.

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The loss wasn't Barkley's first (or worst) gambling loss. After all, he's estimated that he has lost over $10 million on bets -- and that was in an interview over 14 years ago. So he took the loss in stride... kind of.

"I just got drunker," Barkley told Patrick. "That's one thing about gambling. You drink when you're going to win and you drink more when you're going to lose."

As Barkley himself would say, seeing $100,000 slip through your fingers like that? That's turrible.

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