Bob Kraft releases statement

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

I've been a Kraft critic and hated it when he caved in and I hate it every time he smoozes with that slimeball Goodell.

Maybe I'm too much of a softie, but I'll accept him at his word that it was a huge mistake on his part to cave, and that he fully supports Tom. Dislike my post all you want. Maybe I'm just tired of hating on anyone but the NFL office and ISIS.

IMO it is a well-written statement.

Better would have included a shot at Goodell by name, but I can only hope that behind the scenes he will strive for ousting that scum.

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full text

"While I was disappointed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision not to rehear Tom Brady’s case, I am most frustrated that Tom was denied his right to a fair and impartial process. The League's investigation into a football pressure matter was flawed and biased from the start, and has been discredited nearly unanimously by accredited academics and scientists.

"The penalty imposed by the NFL was unprecedented, unjust and unreasonable, especially given that no empirical or direct evidence of any kind showed Tom did anything to violate League rules prior to, during or after the 2015 AFC Championship Game. What Tom has had to endure throughout this 18-month ordeal has been, in my opinion, as far removed from due process as you could ever expect in this country.

"From day one, I have believed in Tom and given him my unwavering support in his pursuit to rightfully clear his name of any wrongdoing. That support extends throughout our organization and has only grown more steadfast as the preponderance of scientific evidence has exonerated Tom. Unfortunately, this stopped being about air pressure a long time ago.

"This entire process has indelibly taken a toll on our organization, our fans and most importantly, Tom Brady. His reluctant decision to stop pursuing further action and to put this situation behind him is what he feels is best for the team in preparation for this season and is fully supported by me and our entire organization.

"To our devoted fans, your unwavering support for Tom and our organization have only reinforced our longstanding belief that we have the greatest fans in all of sports. We will continue to unequivocally support Tom and know our fans will rally around him and the rest of the team like never before. Our full focus now is on making the upcoming season a memorable one for all of our fans."

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Just a nicely worded PR statement meaning nothing . One hug with the POS offsets a thousand PR statements.

bormio said:

I don't typically get all over Kraft for this - but there is a difference between "believing in Tom" and "believing Tom". And today that difference is important.

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That's a good point. I also wish Kraft spoke more plainly. Saying "flawed and biased" is fine, but, without relating it to anything, it doesn't carry any weight. Come out and say the Colts accusation was false and baseless. Say that the league wanted this to be true, they leaked the 11 out of 12 story to the media. Then say the NFL used the flawed and biased Wells Report to prove themselves right.

cupofjoe1962 said:

Through this entire process Bum Kisser Bob Kraft has not criticized Goodell by name in any degree in any of his statements.

It will only be a matter of time before the media catches a picture of Kraft & Goodell, hugging, laughing, sharing an icecream, or holding hands together.

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Robert ***** Ass Kraft, I consider him only slightly better than Goodell. Just slightly. I look at it this way.

Pond Scum



Bob Kraft















Roger Goodell

The way he has handled this situation himself, coming out with the mea culpa in his statement a couple weeks ago, or 10 days ago, and setting a very clear policy of how we conduct ourselves in the NFL, I thought was excellent, anyone who is second guessing that doesn't know him.

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-Bob on Rog after the Ray Rice fiasco

You're a real schmuck.

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-Bob on BB after Spygate

Yep eff this guy. He doesn't get it.

Gumby said:

Exactly where in that "full text" did he say he made a mistake caving?

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I think that came earlier, when the league said "thanks for playing ball Bob, now we're stealing all your draft picks and suspending your quarterback." I remember words to the effect of "I put my faith in the league's process and realize now that was a mistake."

I don't remember whether I participated in Kraft-hate here. When he made his "best for the 32" remarks he inalterably screwed himself with a great number of fans.

He's stated strongly enough that this has been a witch-hunt - he reiterates repeatedly that the science is against the league in this statement - that if I was ever in the hate camp I personally have backed off it.

He might sound whiny, but the substance of his statement is today's equivalent of Al Davis - minus the "moving the team whether you like it or not" stuff.

Saying that off the cuff and not in the middle of the statement, likely just to local media means that it isn't really that important to him and won't get any national play.

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Perfect world: He could have immediately sued for defamation and fought the stolen draft picks from day 1.

Real world: If you were at all on the fence about Kraft, this statement is a mild positive. It's forceful in its repetition that there was no crime in the first place, in combination with the statement that Goodell does not have the right to take the actions he took.

If you formed your opinions once and for all time when he met w/Goodell behind closed doors and caved? Ain't nothin' bringing you back.

My read is that he simply showed the bedrock of his position: Yeah he's a fan sure. Hey maybe he bleeds Patriots blue and silver and red and white and whatnot on gameday, but for Christ's sake, he's a businessman. Six days a week and all offseason he bleeds green, period.

You guys want a fan, there's one next to you on every barstool. Don't look to an owner to be a fan, not like you're thinking of, that's not their game. They're fans after they're owners. Except maybe Dan Snyder, who thinks his team is a fantasy football team. And he's probably more "casual" a fan than Kraft.

Question is, do you think he's a bad owner or a bad fan?

I think he's a good owner who made a mistake. His franchise took too much damage; in retrospect - playing counterfactuals here - there might/might not have been ways to win the whole ball of wax. I am not sure what they are.

The underlying problem is that the league ceded Goodell the option to essentially cheat -- to determine penalties, make up new infractions, pass summary judgment without any factual basis, etc.

The owners voted him the right to be the "new sheriff in town," because the league kept having murderers and rapists as players. The theory was he was going to kick butt and take names in terms of image, and everybody would get rich. (All owners that is)

Well the league did get richer under Goodell. Hell, maybe it would get even richer under Vince McMahon.

So I'm not hatin' the player, I'm hatin' the game. The underlying problem, in my opinion, is a threat to the sport's credibility. It's okay when it's just us, or just the Saints, or just somebody else... while his favorites skate on arguably worse offenses.

I don't know how far it goes before it all snaps. Who knows, maybe this is what makes the NFL a marketable commodity. Cheating, so that the best team doesn't do too well.

And yeah I will STILL be excited even for the first four games. It's Patriots football. They haven't taken that away... yet.

And I'll be especially psyched to see how pissed off Brady is after 4 games holding a clipboard

Gronkowski123 said:

why is tom thanking kraft in his letter to the fans??? hey tom, kraft has NEVER had your back. sometimes i wonder what world brady lives in with his ***** attitude. he should fire all of his advisers..

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I hate feeling this way, but sometimes I think the only people who take any of this stuff seriously are the fans and everyone on the NFL payroll is just play-acting.

PatsFanInVa said:

And I'll be especially psyched to see how pissed off Brady is after 4 games holding a clipboard

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He won't be holding a clipboard. He won't be in the stadium. He won't practice for 4 weeks or have any contact with the team. But he will be pissed.

Yet all i see on Twitter is people praise Kraft for his comments...oh the simple minds.

PatsFanInVa said:

I think that came earlier, when the league said "thanks for playing ball Bob, now we're stealing all your draft picks and suspending your quarterback." I remember words to the effect of "I put my faith in the league's process and realize now that was a mistake."

I don't remember whether I participated in Kraft-hate here. When he made his "best for the 32" remarks he inalterably screwed himself with a great number of fans.

He's stated strongly enough that this has been a witch-hunt - he reiterates repeatedly that the science is against the league in this statement - that if I was ever in the hate camp I personally have backed off it.

He might sound whiny, but the substance of his statement is today's equivalent of Al Davis - minus the "moving the team whether you like it or not" stuff.



Perfect world: He could have immediately sued for defamation and fought the stolen draft picks from day 1.

Real world: If you were at all on the fence about Kraft, this statement is a mild positive. It's forceful in its repetition that there was no crime in the first place, in combination with the statement that Goodell does not have the right to take the actions he took.

If you formed your opinions once and for all time when he met w/Goodell behind closed doors and caved? Ain't nothin' bringing you back.

My read is that he simply showed the bedrock of his position: Yeah he's a fan sure. Hey maybe he bleeds Patriots blue and silver and red and white and whatnot on gameday, but for Christ's sake, he's a businessman. Six days a week and all offseason he bleeds green, period.

You guys want a fan, there's one next to you on every barstool. Don't look to an owner to be a fan, not like you're thinking of, that's not their game. They're fans after they're owners. Except maybe Dan Snyder, who thinks his team is a fantasy football team. And he's probably more "casual" a fan than Kraft.

Question is, do you think he's a bad owner or a bad fan?

I think he's a good owner who made a mistake. His franchise took too much damage; in retrospect - playing counterfactuals here - there might/might not have been ways to win the whole ball of wax. I am not sure what they are.

The underlying problem is that the league ceded Goodell the option to essentially cheat -- to determine penalties, make up new infractions, pass summary judgment without any factual basis, etc.

The owners voted him the right to be the "new sheriff in town," because the league kept having murderers and rapists as players. The theory was he was going to kick butt and take names in terms of image, and everybody would get rich. (All owners that is)

Well the league did get richer under Goodell. Hell, maybe it would get even richer under Vince McMahon.

So I'm not hatin' the player, I'm hatin' the game. The underlying problem, in my opinion, is a threat to the sport's credibility. It's okay when it's just us, or just the Saints, or just somebody else... while his favorites skate on arguably worse offenses.

I don't know how far it goes before it all snaps. Who knows, maybe this is what makes the NFL a marketable commodity. Cheating, so that the best team doesn't do too well.

And yeah I will STILL be excited even for the first four games. It's Patriots football. They haven't taken that away... yet.

And I'll be especially psyched to see how pissed off Brady is after 4 games holding a clipboard

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That's one of the more long-winded rationalizations for spineless/soulless behavior I've seen in a while. You can go ahead and buy what Bob "says" 'til the cows come home. And characterizing accountability to his bank accounts vs. accountability to his loyal customers as a natural "reality" we must accept represents just another form of bending over.

Bob Kraft is exactly one BB and one Tom Brady away from being a mediocre owner. Don't forget that. He didn't just "make a mistake" with his fumbling and bumbling of BOTH cameragate and framegate, he showed us in stark relief who he really is by throwing BB and Brady (plus the franchise/fans) under the bus, respectively.

I don't think BK realizes how badly he done ****ed up. It will take something monumental for us (Pats fans) to forgive BK at this point. I'm not sure it can be done to be honest.

I'm trying to think of what BK could do or accomplish, for me to forgive him for not defending Boston's greatest idol with every resource a billionaire has available (and don't give me all that yarn about how his hands were tied and yada yada, at this point I have a 100 times more respect for Al Davis than BK).

Maybe he'll succeed in being the driving force to getting Goodell fired, but for me it'd be... again too little too late.

GrogansArmy said:

I don't think BK realizes how badly he done ****ed up. It will take something monumental for us (Pats fans) to forgive BK at this point. I'm not sure it can be done to be honest.

I'm trying to think of what BK could do or accomplish, for me to forgive him for not defending Boston's greatest idol with every resource a billionaire has available (and don't give me all that yarn about how his hands were tied and yada yada, at this point I have a 100 times more respect for Al Davis than BK).

Maybe he'll succeed in being the driving force to getting Goodell fired, but for me it'd be... again too little too late.

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Bob could have permanently galvanized the fanbase and immortalized himself forever in the annals of New England sports by DOING something in defiance of the NFL instead of just giving lip service -- even if it was something legally hopeless and stupid business-wise. He could have humanized at least his own little corner of the NFL as standing for something. Some things really are worth more than money and he blew it.

Tunescribe said:

Bob could have permanently galvanized the fanbase and immortalized himself forever in the annals of New England sports by DOING something in defiance of the NFL instead of just giving lip service -- even if it was something legally hopeless and stupid business-wise. He could have humanized at least his own little corner of the NFL as standing for something. Some things really are worth more than money and he blew it.

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Totally agree - if Bob had even done one single solitary substantial thing to back up a person (who he says he knows is innocent) I would be the first one clamoring for a statue to BK. Unfortunately, he has done nothing but talk and talk without any actions to back it up. Except for the action to bend over so his lover Goodell can give it to him good. And no, the website supposedly set up by him or people close to him does not count.

Maybe I'm a minority but I have sensed that Kraft has had it with Goodell for some time - through many of his statements, and also through the statements of Jonathan Kraft (who really speaks for his father in a more informal manner). He is just not the type of person to fly off the handle and get all emotional like a Scott Zolack or someone as his language is much more nuanced and calculated.

I think he is truly disgusted with the NFL front office and I hope he is building a case to get that goddamn clown of a commish out.

I see what Kraft is doing now. The skill to create meaningless strongly worded statements are part of the job description to become head of the United Nations. Kraft wants to be head of the U.N. It all makes sense now.

Mr. Kraft made a serious mistake, however difficult for this fan to completely disavow all the good work he has done for this franchise.. need to look a the body of work.

Not sure what else he can do to make things more right than they are... yelling, screaming and acting all nutso does not seem like part of his repertoire..

Brady thanked him for his support during this process.. there is nothing to gain for Brady by mentioning that.

DarrylS said:

Mr. Kraft made a serious mistake, however difficult for this fan to completely disavow all the good work he has done for this franchise.. need to look a the body of work.

Not sure what else he can do to make things more right than they are... yelling, screaming and acting all nutso does not seem like part of his repertoire..

Brady thanked him for his support during this process.. there is nothing to gain for Brady by mentioning that.

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Actually BB did Brady a monetary favor by converting most of his salary into a bonus saving him millions. As for Kraft, you can divide his ownership into two terms. Prior to 2007 he was great and post 2007 he has been a disaster. The difference was that prior to to 2007 he put his team and its fans first and after that he became a defender of the Shield and its POS commissioner first and the team and its fans far behind.

The statement would have been much more meaningful if he had called Goodell out by name.

Only thing missing in krafty Bob's pr "please still come to Jonathan City on game day and spend $1,000 for a family of 4" puff piece was the words "integrity of the game".
F#ck you Krafty Bob, you money loving, scheming, back room dealing POS....

Tunescribe said:

I hate feeling this way, but sometimes I think the only people who take any of this stuff seriously are the fans and everyone on the NFL payroll is just play-acting.

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This is the sad truth, and the most difficult part to take, because the implication is that we fans, and all of us here on Patsfans, are being played for fools by everyone involved, including every member of the Pats coaching staff and roster.