Kraft's response

It reads to me that he intends to fight this. Unemotional responses written by lawyers delivered three hours after something you intend to fight comes out send a very clear and menacing message. I love it. They may not get the picks back but we can rest assured they will have Goodell's head on a pike atop the lighthouse.

Nice words but actions are what counts. Maybe he can negotiate with his good buddy to get lubrication this time when the Pats are shafted again

sb1 said:

Did the Patriots suspend M&J? I thought the league did.

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Yeah. I believe they are and have additional punishments as well. I can't believe the idiots had an electronic paper trail about screwing with the footballs. If Brady has damning emails/texts on his phone he is also an idiot. If I were engaging in subterfuge it would be verbal communication only. There's a reason people meet under bridges at midnight in the movies.

@MikeReiss: Patriots vs. Steelers is NFL kickoff game, but Robert Kraft v Roger Goodell might turn out to be just as compelling, if not more, that night

We'll see Mike. I hope there is a vs.

Yup. I believe this is a preliminary statement just to make it clear, that what he said before was clearly PAST TENSE. He is probably consulting with his top lawyers what kind of action can/will be taken against the NFL.

jefmblrd said:

The use of the past tense certainly feels like a shot across Goodell's bow; I'm hoping that this is just a prelude of things to come and that Kraft is going to fight this thing.

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Agreed. There is something else coming down the pipe. But an initial statement needed to be made to start it off. I expect the gloves to come off once Kraft is fully aware what his options are. Lawsuits have been filed against the NFL and won before, but it will take careful planning and execution by an excellent legal team.

MuscleCarLover said:

“Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence.

“We are humbled by the support the New England Patriots have received from our fans throughout the world. We recognize our fans’ concerns regarding the NFL’s penalties and share in their disappointment in how this one-sided investigation was handled, as well as the dismissal of the scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report.

“Tom Brady has our unconditional support. Our belief in him has not wavered.”

I actually find this strongly worded from a legal standpoint. It's about to go nuclear IMO.

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If you think about it, the CBA actually governs the relationship between the players and the owners. I have yet to see or hear about a provision in there that stops an owner from suing the League. But if someone can dig up such a provision, please bring it to light so we can all take a look.

Just my guess, but most likely action would take the form of an Injunction against the NFL's punishment followed by the actual lawsuit and the basis of contention against the NFL, which might require a lot of creative litigating and digging through precedents.

Big-T said:

But does the CBA stop an owner getting his political buddies involved? I highly doubt it and they can intervene in a way lawyers can't.

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Big-T said:

Isn't Kraft buddies with John Kerry and a number of other political types?

With this + the use of past tense, hopefully Kraft is going to go nuclear.

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Yeah, John Kerry is the Secretary of State. Maybe he can impose international sanctions on the NFL. No European expansion

TBR said:

View attachment 9261 NEPD_Loyko
According to Robert Kraft, the #Patriots won't just accept their punishment as he once stated. Strong Words.
2015-05-11, 8:51 PM

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Rappoport on NFL network just said Kraft will still accept the punishment.

Deflategate is and will be the biggest Reality TV of the year. The NFL Wins.

The Town of Foxborough should pass an ordinance that bans Goodell from the municipality under threat of criminal trespassing charges.

flasox27 said:

Nice words but where is the action.

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You are right. Kraft should have done "something" already. What a ****.

Jesus, this site sucks.

"Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence."

The bolded words!!!!!! I don't know what the hell some of you guys want. This is a declaration of war by Kraft.

Just remember his legal options could be limited because of his contractual obligations of being an NFL franchise owner. Let's see what actions he take in the coming days and weeks.

Talk is cheap, do some thing.

Do YOUR Job!

He needs to say it in person. These guys continue to have the public relations skills of a bag of concrete. Press releases are a dime a dozen, and people think of them as carefully prepared statements by lawyers.

When people see you in person they can see your genuine, and you statement will be played on every channel and discussed endlessly.

Better than I had expected.
I wish he hadn't screwed his team by going all passive & accepting earlier.

It's been hours! HOURS! He's not going to drop his entire strategy on the league, I'm sure that's far from finished. He specifically addresses Partiot's fans as well, I'm sure part of his intention in releasing it so quickly was for our own peace of mind.

PATSNUTme said:

"Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence."

The bolded words!!!!!! I don't know what the hell some of you guys want. This is a declaration of war by Kraft.

Just remember his legal options could be limited because of his contractual obligations of being an NFL franchise owner. Let's see what actions he take in the coming days and weeks.

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If it's war we will support him. Otherwise, it's just BS to placate the fan base. After 2007 and his subsequent platitudes about the Fuhrer, he has zero credibility.

Likely too little too late.

Hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

Kraft should announce that the Patriots are paying for their own scientific study and will pay all of Tom's legal bills as he fights to restore his good name. If Kraft lies down and accepts this he's just flipped off his fans who deserve better than to have the product they support denigrated and damaged in this way. We'll know that he's gotten far too fat and happy to care and his "I'm just a fan too" days are long gone..............

Hey Britpat...it used to be OK with me that you limeys thought us Yanks were nuts...but I don't know how to feel about it now that you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are the United LooneyTunes of America....this has to be the biggest PR hit on a world wide level that our country has taken since Monica Lewinsky was caught taking ****tation...