Ben Affleck is getting a lot of attention — much of it negative — after he reportedly slurred his words in a high-profile rant about “Deflategate” — the ongoing clash between the NFL and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady over his alleged role in deflating footballs.

The expletive-filled rant took place on last night’s premiere of the HBO talk show “Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons.”

TMZ.com reported after the telecast: “A red-faced Affleck ranted about ‘Deflategate’ on the HBO show and even though we can’t say for sure what was up with him … social media was quick to call Affleck out for his slurred speech and angry tone.”

The TMZ report adds: “Sources close to Affleck tell us he’s stone-cold sober, and the slurring is just how passionate he is about Tom Brady. We’re told he and Simmons got into a heated, loud debate before cameras started rolling. So when the taping started at 11 AM, Ben was already fired up.”

HBO posted the clip online — here it is, with the warning that it’s loaded with the F-word and other choice language …