Kraft does not deserve your anger.

BigPeteG · May 20, 2015

Tony2046 said:
I think you've missed the point. It is not the Patriot fans who care what other fans think it is the owner ship and Goodell who care what the other fans think. I am not convinced that you have read the Wells report because either you did not understand it's implications or you think that 0.3 psi missing from those footballs warrants a 1st, 4th round picks, 1 million dollar fine and suspending Brady for 4 games. Kraft folded. He would have gained so much respect if he had just put up a decent fight and even if he lost in the end he would still walked out with the respect of his fans which by the way would have translated into ticket, merchandise and other sales. He folded. He was weak. I don't respect that. I do respect what he has done for the franchise in the past but he folded during spygate and now this.

This. Most of us get that Kraft would lose in the end. The appeal would be rejected - and heard by Goodell. But to hang his team out to dry when he claims to "believe' they were innocent is simply unacceptable. I'd have more respect for him if he said that he thought Tom did it.

Kraft thought it was okay to punish the coaching staff and players of the Patriots for something he thought they didn't do and they are supposedly his 'team.' I will give you a analogy here.. Imagine your wife gets accused of borrowing your car and crashing into a man on the street. But it turns out that guy was a con-artist and normally throws himself into traffic to make a buck. Nice guy that you are you decide to pay his lawyers anyway, repair the car, and let your wife sit in jail for a month.. Turns out the con artist was friends with one of your buddies.. Better for everyone if your wife just sits in jail right?

That's what Kraft is doing here - taking punishment that hurts everyone else more then him - while claiming to be the nice guy. Its poor BB and Brady who suffer with the lack of picks and play - not Kraft. He gets to feel 'accepted' in a room with rich guys.. swell.

Brady_to_Moss · May 20, 2015

I am waiting for him to give a speech or something at halftime remembering a retired Pats player ect and seeing what the crowd does when he talks.

I won't be missing that game that's for sure!

Deus Irae · May 20, 2015

Joey007 said:
A positive based thread!?! How dare you! Torches and pitchforks!!

(chill )

Be as positive as you want, as long as you're ready for the responses. But telling people to "Imagine this scenario" While asking "How much do you really know what happened" and then tossing out multiple other scenarios, telling people that they don't know what went on behind closed doors, and then telling them that Kraft does not deserve their anger is a crap post.

If the OP is going to insist that people don't know what really went on, then he can have no idea whether or not Kraft deserves the fans' anger.

YOUGOTMOSSED · May 20, 2015

Interception said:
What has Kraft does for this organization?
Bill Belichick would not be here without Kraft. Considering that fact, Brady would most likely not be here without Kraft either. Without those two, we would not have four Super Bowl championships. Without Kraft, this organization would still be where it was prior to Kraft -- a laughing stock.

How much do you really know about what happened? Imagine this scenario --
Goodell and Kraft had a talk. Kraft had a talk with his lawyers. It was made clear to him that suing the league would not result in any positive outcome for the patriots, much like it never has for any team vs NFL lawsuit in the past. For a team to sue the league and win is unheard of. It is just not possible, considering Kraft is the one who helped make the rules of the CBA. In this case, Kraft had two options:
1. Fight a meaningless fight in which both the organization and the league that he his a part of loses.
2. Surrender, have the same outcome, save the organization from being spited even more by the League.

Imagine if you were the owner. Now imagine you were fighting a war you couldn't win. It doesn't matter if we think you could win, it doesn't matter if the media thinks you could have one. The professionals (lawyers, inner circle) you are paying millions of dollars to you tell you that you cannot win. What do you do?
a) fight against the league despite not being able to win, lose money and tarnish the reputation of the league you are a part of.
b) reluctantly accept the penalties and work to ensure that these standards are changed in the future, thus saving your relationships with your partners and not tarnishing the league further.

As a billionaire running a business, choice B is the logical answer. Choice A is fueled by anger and destruction.
So imagine you went with the logical choice... And then heard this anger and hate towards you from fans who aren't even informed of the entire situation. Pretty hurtful right?

Would Kraft have backed down if he had been told he had a great chance of winning this?
Kraft is a patriots fan who has attended a game every season since the team was formed. He was such a huge fan, in fact, that he bought the team and invested in it to make it was it is. No matter what you've spent on the Patriots, Kraft spent more to make them what they are today.

You have no idea what went on behind closed doors. Sure, he could've fought for his "fans." But maybe this is what was the best of all the crappy options available. Maybe this was the way to do the least damage to the sport.

Let's be honest. We're all NFL fans. Without the NFL, the patriots would be nothing. This is indeed bigger than the patriots. You can't say you hate the NFL but then watch NFL games and love an NFL franchise so much.
Being a Patriots fan makes you a fan of the NFL because the patriots are the NFL.

Kraft has history with the NFL. He has relationships. He has a responsibility to the Patriots and a love for the Patriots, which is why he was initially so angry.
He calmed down, saw his options, and made the choice.

This is the owner who made the Patriots what they are. If he says this is what was best for the Patriots AND the NFL, and asks for trust, then I'll trust him. After all, he's been a Patriots fan longer than me and has way more invested in the team than me.

EDIT:
Please keep personal insults out of your disagreements with me!
I do not mind having a respectful debate. I have lurked for years and know most of you somewhat well, I would like to keep the respect I have for you guys.

Also, please don't reply unless you have a point to make. For example, simply replying "wall of text" does not add to the discussion but just fills the thread and forum with meaningless spam just because of a disagreeing opinion.

Thank you!

Excellent point! We should heed the wisdom of Homer Simpson.

Tony2046 · May 20, 2015

BigPeteG said:
This. Most of us get that Kraft would lose in the end. The appeal would be rejected - and heard by Goodell. But to hang his team out to dry when he claims to "believe' they were innocent is simply unacceptable. I'd have more respect for him if he said that he thought Tom did it.

Kraft thought it was okay to punish the coaching staff and players of the Patriots for something he thought they didn't do and they are supposedly his 'team.' I will give you a analogy here.. Imagine your wife gets accused of borrowing your car and crashing into a man on the street. But it turns out that guy was a con-artist and normally throws himself into traffic to make a buck. Nice guy that you are you decide to pay his lawyers anyway, repair the car, and let your wife sit in jail for a month.. Turns out the con artist was friends with one of your buddies.. Better for everyone if your wife just sits in jail right?

That's what Kraft is doing here - taking punishment that hurts everyone else more then him - while claiming to be the nice guy. Its poor BB and Brady who suffer with the lack of picks and play - not Kraft. He gets to feel 'accepted' in a room with rich guys.. swell.

My brother and I used to move a lot as kids. Every time we got to a new school some butthead would start some crap because we were the new kids. If you don't punch that guy in the mouth you will have to live with that crap for a long time. Doesn't matter if you won the fight or not because they knew you would fight. Kraft got hit with spygate and he never punched anyone in the mouth and now again with deflate gate. I don't mean he has to lose his mind but if he doesn't stand up for what he believes the right punishment should be, if any, the NFL will continue to overreact to the Patriots.

Snake Eyes · May 20, 2015

Interception said:
Well I agree the collective good of all 32 is more important than any single franchise... If everyone focused on their own franchise without the good of the NFL, the NFL would cease to exist. This is bigger than one team. We might hate our punishments, but we weren't so worked up when they were handed out to teams like the Saints with little proof, were we?

In that case the league can just announce that they've reconsidered their position after further review of the Wells report and rescind all of the punishments, that way there's no need for any conflict and owners won't have to make the choice between their franchise and the league.

Instead Kraft gave his de facto approval to a half-baked hatchet job and thre TFB under the bus, the man who is most responsible for those banners hanging in Gilette. Kraft tarnished that mans reputation because he would prefer to kiss the asses of the other owners and count his money.

He can go to hell.

reneluar · May 20, 2015

Tony2046 said:
My brother and I used to move a lot as kids. Every time we got to a new school some butthead would start some crap because we were the new kids. If you don't punch that guy in the mouth you will have to live with that crap for a long time. Doesn't matter if you won the fight or not because they knew you would fight. Kraft got hit with spygate and he never punched anyone in the mouth and now again with deflate gate. I don't mean he has to lose his mind but if he doesn't stand up for what he believes the right punishment should be, if any, the NFL will continue to overreact to the Patriots.

You are WRONG here, after spygate he punched Belichick, during deflategate he punched the fans......... and kissed Goodell in both fights.

SoonerPatriot · May 20, 2015

Interception said:
Going the distance is silly if it does nothing but damage both the Patriots and the NFL, which is a possible outcome.

All he had to do was simply go through the appeals process. The world would not have ended. The league would have survived. I'd have preferred him to go further but my vitriol, and the vitriol of others, would have been tamped down considerably had he bothered to care enough to do the minimum. He chose "The 32".

hwc · May 20, 2015

It's very simple for me.

F the NFL
F Roger Goodell
F the NFL owners

Robert Kraft has firmly taken the side of the NFL, Roger Goodell, and the NFL owners.

So, F Robert Kraft. He is the enemy. He is part of the group that has killed football for me.

Patstopia · May 20, 2015

What really snaps my jock strap is this guy steps up to the podium and asks the fans to trust him he is doing this to end the rhetoric and calm the antagonism down. What hubris on this guy! He thought just by his words the whole thing would go away! That we as Patriot fans would just say OK Bob if you say so.

Now Kraft the businessman has done well for this region and this team. He kept the team here and built a stadium. And best of all, he hired BB.

But Kraft the owner has been an assortment of treats and a few tricks mixed in. But the one overriding thing that he forgot was loyalty. Loyalty to the team, the Players and the QB who is out there right now twisting in the wind. Kraft would leave him there. Would leave the fans there. Would leave the team there.

Tom Brady has recourse to fight this finding with the NFLPA. After that if he wants he can sue.

But for the fans, we have no recourse! We have to depend on the owner to represent OUR team, the team we support by buying tickets and goods and watching on television.

We depend on the owner to stick with us thru thick and thin. And we will stick with him no matter what. And that is the crux of the matter. We are left unrepresented because Bob forgot about the team, the QB and the fans. And was persuaded to abandon all of us, for a league set a trap for the team. Doctored up a report and then SLAMMED the team with a ridiculous punishment for an infraction that cannot be proven and is a 25k fine.

So now we stand alone, raging into the night. Left abandoned with nobody to look out for the fans point of view. Because obviously, the fans don't count to Bob. Only the NFL and his 31 other buddies.

reneluar · May 20, 2015

A source said me this happened:
Goodell said: OK Robert, this problem is getting worse every second, all the fans fight and post memes, thats unfair for the integrity of the game. This is the deal: Read this statement and calm your fanbase, then the other 31 owners will make the same thing and i will drop the penalties, all for the integrity of the game.
Kraft make the statement, then enter the room and everybody laugh

IcyPatriot · May 20, 2015

One of the most inane threads I have ever seen here ...

I joined in 2000 ...........

Deus Irae · May 20, 2015

IcyPatriot said:
One of the most inane threads I have ever seen here ...

I joined in 2000 ...........

But imagine this scenario.....

Peachhead · May 20, 2015

He didn't have to necessarily sue the league to satisfy me. But he didn't even appeal! If he appealed and got totally shot down by Goodell at least he'd be on permanent record as fighting the good fight for his players and for us. It would have taken a few more weeks at most.

If after an unsuccessful appeal we were told "Hey I tried. If I pushed any further it could really F up things, even if we won". Then OK, I probably would have understood after a day or two getting it out of my system. But to not even appeal? Arrrgh!

Tom meets Kaepernick · May 21, 2015

I don't care. I can't stand it...

Bobsyouruncle · May 21, 2015

Johnathan, stop defending your dad, and go home. You're drunk.

slash83 · May 21, 2015

Interception said:
What has Kraft does for this organization?
Bill Belichick would not be here without Kraft. Considering that fact, Brady would most likely not be here without Kraft either. Without those two, we would not have four Super Bowl championships. Without Kraft, this organization would still be where it was prior to Kraft -- a laughing stock.

How much do you really know about what happened? Imagine this scenario --
Goodell and Kraft had a talk. Kraft had a talk with his lawyers. It was made clear to him that suing the league would not result in any positive outcome for the patriots, much like it never has for any team vs NFL lawsuit in the past. For a team to sue the league and win is unheard of. It is just not possible, considering Kraft is the one who helped make the rules of the CBA. In this case, Kraft had two options:
1. Fight a meaningless fight in which both the organization and the league that he his a part of loses.
2. Surrender, have the same outcome, save the organization from being spited even more by the League.

Imagine if you were the owner. Now imagine you were fighting a war you couldn't win. It doesn't matter if we think you could win, it doesn't matter if the media thinks you could have one. The professionals (lawyers, inner circle) you are paying millions of dollars to you tell you that you cannot win. What do you do?
a) fight against the league despite not being able to win, lose money and tarnish the reputation of the league you are a part of.
b) reluctantly accept the penalties and work to ensure that these standards are changed in the future, thus saving your relationships with your partners and not tarnishing the league further.

As a billionaire running a business, choice B is the logical answer. Choice A is fueled by anger and destruction.
So imagine you went with the logical choice... And then heard this anger and hate towards you from fans who aren't even informed of the entire situation. Pretty hurtful right?

Would Kraft have backed down if he had been told he had a great chance of winning this?
Kraft is a patriots fan who has attended a game every season since the team was formed. He was such a huge fan, in fact, that he bought the team and invested in it to make it was it is. No matter what you've spent on the Patriots, Kraft spent more to make them what they are today.

You have no idea what went on behind closed doors. Sure, he could've fought for his "fans." But maybe this is what was the best of all the crappy options available. Maybe this was the way to do the least damage to the sport.

Let's be honest. We're all NFL fans. Without the NFL, the patriots would be nothing. This is indeed bigger than the patriots. You can't say you hate the NFL but then watch NFL games and love an NFL franchise so much.
Being a Patriots fan makes you a fan of the NFL because the patriots are the NFL.

Kraft has history with the NFL. He has relationships. He has a responsibility to the Patriots and a love for the Patriots, which is why he was initially so angry.
He calmed down, saw his options, and made the choice.

This is the owner who made the Patriots what they are. If he says this is what was best for the Patriots AND the NFL, and asks for trust, then I'll trust him. After all, he's been a Patriots fan longer than me and has way more invested in the team than me.

EDIT:
Please keep personal insults out of your disagreements with me!
I do not mind having a respectful debate. I have lurked for years and know most of you somewhat well, I would like to keep the respect I have for you guys.

Also, please don't reply unless you have a point to make. For example, simply replying "wall of text" does not add to the discussion but just fills the thread and forum with meaningless spam just because of a disagreeing opinion.

Thank you!

Were you giving Kraft a handy while you were typing up your post with the other hand?

SteveBsFan · May 21, 2015

Sorry this post would have been better served after the league tarnished the Patriots name over a rather ridiculous situation (spygate).

Now, because Belichick is playing chess in a league full of checkers players, and refuses to dumb himself down to his competition, the league has had enough.

Tired of losing on the field, other teams set up a sting operation to which the league apparently was aware of. They let it happen, and then aided the witch hunt by leaking tons of false information, allowing the fans to form an opinion well before any facts were released.

This league that Kraft is now defending has systematically destroyed the legacy of the greatest head coach and quarterback of all time. It has forever smeared the team name and many people feel those 4 championships were earned by sinister methods.

By conceding to the league, Kraft gave up the fight and is now allowing everyone to confirm what they already believed. Brady and Belichick will be known as liars and cheats for the rest of their lives. Their entire careers smeared by jealous league owners and Kraft is allowing it to happen so he can save face when they're gone.

Well, I have news for Kraft. When they're gone, I'm gone. I'm sure I'm not alone with this sentiment

#56300ex · May 21, 2015

Kraft is a dog faker

BigPeteG · May 21, 2015

By conceding to the league, Kraft gave up the fight and is now allowing everyone to confirm what they already believed. Brady and Belichick will be known as liars and cheats for the rest of their lives. Their entire careers smeared by jealous league owners and Kraft is allowing it to happen so he can save face when they're gone.

This. It's very hurtful what Kraft has done - I am just a football fan - and I can deal with it. But he has ruined the life's work of some of the greatest players of the game. People underestimate the damage he did on Spygate - this is more of the same.

He should have NEVER accepted those penalties back in 2007. What the Pats did is totally within a very reasonable interpretation of the rules. The owners have to vote on the rules - Goodell does not get to set them.

Letting Goodell slide on the spygate thing changed the narrative for the Patriots. They become 'cheaters' that 'secretly' video taped games - and now he has topped himself. By siding with the league he has cemented the football world against the Patriot's legacies..

I never liked Troy Aikman - but I can accept he was a very good QB for a while. Same with Marino - but these guys never had an owner that was willing to bury his own team. BB and Brady are wasted on this guy..

There is a 'pattern' with Kraft. He doesn't seem to have the strength of character to back his team. When push comes to shove he capitulates - probably so he can get back to living it up. At least Jerry Jones cares about football.

Kraft does not deserve your anger.

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