Robert Kraft broke his silence about Deflate-Gate Monday, and came out swinging against the NFL.
The Patriots owner unexpectedly took the podium before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady addressed the media in Arizona, and delivered a nearly four-minute monologue about his thoughts on the ongoing investigation about whether the Patriots intentionally deflated footballs in the first half of the AFC Championship Game against the Colts.
After releasing a milquetoast statement Friday, Kraft defended his team much more fervently this time around.
“I want to make it clear that I believe unconditionally that the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process or are in violation of NFL rules,” Kraft said. “Tom, Bill and I have been together for 15 years. They are my guys. They are part of my family. And Bill, Tom and I have had many different discussions over the years, and I have never known them to lie to me.”
Kraft went as far as to say he expects an apology from the NFL if its Delfate-Gate inquiry turns up empty.
“If the Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure of footballs, I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team and in particular coach Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure this past week,” Kraft said.
He also expressed displeasure about the numerous leaks that have been reported about the NFL’s investigation. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Monday afternoon that the NFL is targeting a Patriots locker room attendant who was allegedly filmed taking footballs from the referees’ room to another area prior to the start of the AFC Championship Game.
“I am disappointed in the way this entire matter has been handled and reported upon. We expect hard facts as opposed to circumstantial leaked evidence to draw the conclusion of this investigation,” Kraft said.
Kraft’s comments especially hold weight because of his strong relationship with commissioner Roger Goodell. GQ contributor Gabriel Sherman outlines Kraft and Goodell’s close personal relationship in a must-read feature story about the NFL’s year of scandal and controversy. In the piece, Sherman quotes a league executive who calls Kraft the “assistant commissioner.”
But after listening to Kraft speak Monday, it’s clear that he has a problem with the way Goodell has handled the Deflate-Gate matter thus far. Attorney Ted Wells, who the NFL has pegged to lead the investigation, said Monday he expects the fact-finding process to “take several more weeks.”
