Kraft's Response

[tom444]

I guess for some of us this is about how you feel. I, and I have no proof of this, think that where's there's smoke there's fire. I suspect Brady had the footballs tampered with. Unlike the league, however, I don't think it's a big deal. It's a minor infraction not worthy of much more than a slap on the wrist. No one was killed, no drugs were used, no women were raped, no gambling was involved, no points were shaved, no officials were corrupted, so on and so forth.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Shannon Sharpe is a ******, he says he will boycott Brady's induction to the HOF, but i guarantee he will be front and center when Ray Lewis goes in.

Same goes for Borges, he won't support Brady going to the HOF on the first ballot but will definitely vote Lewis in the first chance he gets.

 

[RayClay]

People in this thread remind me of tough guys who say they are putting their foot down and not letting their boss get away with something. " Why I'm going to walk right up to him and tell him... oh yes sir, I'll be happy to do that sir. If there's anything else..." lofl.

Kraft needs to make a power play and it will be behind the scenes. Stomping his feet like a three year old will only make the pats seem like what they're being labelled.

The owners gave dipwad unlimited power and Kraft is a prominent owner. Acting like he's a professional wrestler doing an interview will not do anything but make the team look stupid and guilty in the eyes of the gullible masses.

 

[Huckleberry1]

There's no reason Kraft couldn't say he would accept team penalties because he he has no choice while also saying that Brady did nothing wrong and that the Patriots will back him 100% in any action he chooses to take against the league.

 

[IllegalContact]

There's no reason Kraft couldn't say he would accept team penalties because he he has no choice while also saying that Brady did nothing wrong and that the Patriots will back him 100% in any action he chooses to take against the league.

I would bet that he said what he said because all involved from the pats end agreed that's what should be said.....it was obvious the intent was to not open dialogue about Brady......he kept it about what falls within his control.

The Pats always say as little as possible

 

[Huckleberry1]

I would bet that he said what he said because all involved from the pats end agreed that's what should be said.....it was obvious the intent was to not open dialogue about Brady......he kept it about what falls within his control.

The Pats always say as little as possible

I have no doubt he was following advice of counsel but imo this has gotten really personal towards Brady and he deserves support from the team.

 

[skinnydog]

Kraft's statement was weak sauce and I don't see how there is any doubt on that. I also don;t see the mast strategy here that others do. Stating that he will accept the penalty whatever it is is horrible strategy. I don;t care if there is really nothing he can really do, but he should have fired a shot across the bow of the NFL to make sure they know that he won't lie down and get beaten like a rug. Both his and Brady's strategy seems to be to speak softly, don't criticize too much and hope the NFL levies a small fine and then they can move on. We'll see, but I think that is naive to the nth degree. This strategy has allowed a national uproar about the Patriots being the ultimate cheater's of all time. It's almost as if they are in a cocoon and don't realize how bad it really is. This scandal can tarnish their legacy forever. Nationwide Brady and the Patriots are viewed as cheater over .3 psi taken out of a ball even if it is all true. I don;t see why kraft doesn;t get that Brady is synonymous with Patriots success. Even if Brady is the only one disciplined, (and i doubt it), that's the same thing in the public's perception. If Brady is a cheater, the Patriots are cheaters END OF STORY.

Despite how weak the evidence is, this will confirm the perception across the public AND the league that the patriots are only winners because they cheat. The fact that Brady was lights out in the second half with the back-up balls in the Colts game and had a great game against the best pass defense in the past 5 years with no running game to speak of, will be of no consequence. None.

Kraft should go balls to the wall in defense of Brady because it is a defense of his team and it's record of success. Don't sit back and take it, attack, be aggressive. Demand a league wide investigation of how footballs are treated, demand the phone record of all QBS, demand Aaron Rogers be investigated for trying to slip over-inflated balls past the refs. Threaten to blow it up, burn the crops and salt the earth. Demand the NFL investigate its own and the endless leaks all terribly damaging to the Patriots reputation. Air every ounce of dirty laundry you have against other owners and teams. Make sure they know there is a price to pay for their vendetta against the best player in the game and perhaps QB of all time over at best is Tom Brady hating balls over inflated by lazy refs pre-game.

If not, Bob, it is your teams reputation that is on the line as well. there is no real separation here.

 

[IllegalContact]

I have no doubt he was following advice of counsel but imo this has gotten really personal towards Brady and he deserves support from the team.

I am sure if he asked for it he would get it......you know Brady's 37 years old....he's not a kid and he has pockets full of money......I'm pretty sure at this stage he's plenty powerful on his own

there's alot of misguided anger in the NFL because 15 years of relative success by the pats

 

[PATSNUTme]

I really don't know what some of you guys think with. Kraft is an NFL Franchise owner and is contractually bound to accept (after negotiations) any penalty imposed by the NFL office on the TEAM. That does not mean he cannot defend and publicly support Brady, which I think he will do if suspension is handed down.

Brady is a member of the NFLPA. They will fight for him and he can have is own team of people fight for him and take on the NFL. There is a big difference between Kraft legal position and Brady's legal position.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

I am more upset at Kraft for helping to Orchestrate the hiring of Godell than I am upset at him for not saying anything about him on this matter.

 

[skinnydog]

I really don't know what some of you guys think with. Kraft is an NFL Franchise owner and is contractually bound to accept (after negotiations) any penalty imposed by the NFL office on the TEAM. That does not mean he cannot defend and publicly support Brady, which I think he will do if suspension is handed down.

Brady is a member of the NFLPA. They will fight for him and he can have is own team of people fight for him and take on the NFL. There is a big difference between Kraft legal position and Brady's legal position.

So what, this requires a little more. He can demand investigations, publicly state the investigation was anything but impartial which is the line the commissioner is running around spouting. Kraft has a large PR apparatus and he can use it.

 

[BTTA]

My biggest concern here is Kraft's competency at this point. If you've ever had to take the car keys from an aging parent and confront all the anxiety and rage that comes with that, you know what I mean. It is a bit unspeakable, but is on my mind. There's probably going to be a delay between when Jonathan should take over, and when he does take over, and I hope we aren't in that period now.

 

[reflexblue]

My biggest concern here is Kraft's competency at this point. If you've ever had to take the car keys from an aging parent and confront all the anxiety and rage that comes with that, you know what I mean. It is a bit unspeakable, but is on my mind. There's probably going to be a delay between when Jonathan should take over, and when he does take over, and I hope we aren't in that period now.

Well for what its worth this is Bob in New Yawk today working on the defense of his qb when the sentence is handed down. He looks anguished.

 

[RobertWeathers]

People in this thread remind me of tough guys who say they are putting their foot down and not letting their boss get away with something. " Why I'm going to walk right up to him and tell him... oh yes sir, I'll be happy to do that sir. If there's anything else..." lofl.

Kraft needs to make a power play and it will be behind the scenes. Stomping his feet like a three year old will only make the pats seem like what they're being labelled.

The owners gave dipwad unlimited power and Kraft is a prominent owner. Acting like he's a professional wrestler doing an interview will not do anything but make the team look stupid and guilty in the eyes of the gullible masses.

I hate how Bob has handled this publicly. His last paragraph was a complete joke. He should have left it out.

I'm sure Bob is doing some temperature checking with other owners and FoB to see what kind of political support he would receive for going on some kind of counter-offensive. Sometimes revenge is a dish best served cold and the best way to ruin someone is to come as their friend.

While he doesn't want Brady to go to war with the NFL, I bet he understands completely why he needs to.

 

[tom444]

My biggest concern here is Kraft's competency at this point. If you've ever had to take the car keys from an aging parent and confront all the anxiety and rage that comes with that, you know what I mean. It is a bit unspeakable, but is on my mind. There's probably going to be a delay between when Jonathan should take over, and when he does take over, and I hope we aren't in that period now.

I haven't seen anything to make me think he's at that point, but we don't see him enough to make that call. I remember taking the keys from my mother but she was 91.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

People in this thread remind me of tough guys who say they are putting their foot down and not letting their boss get away with something. " Why I'm going to walk right up to him and tell him... oh yes sir, I'll be happy to do that sir. If there's anything else..." lofl.

Kraft needs to make a power play and it will be behind the scenes. Stomping his feet like a three year old will only make the pats seem like what they're being labelled.

The owners gave dipwad unlimited power and Kraft is a prominent owner. Acting like he's a professional wrestler doing an interview will not do anything but make the team look stupid and guilty in the eyes of the gullible masses.

I suppose you know a lot of people from cartoons. But Goodell did exactly that. He didn't much care whether he could get away with anything, he just does it and says "who's gonna stop me?" If you sat there three months ago and someone said this could happen people would say no way, Goodell would never get away with it. He did, so obviously that tactic works. I see it work all the time.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Kraft is spineless. Would probably accept whatever the punishment is, even if it is a firing squad for Brady.

First time I've ever disliked this guy. Lost mucho respect for him unless he grows a pair real quick.

 

[PatriotsReign]

The #1 thought I have is how sad this entire BS of a situation is.

The sports media, mainstream media and even fans are acting as if this is a very important national event....IT IS NOT.

It's fuggn an accusation about balls being deflated. It's not going to affect our lives unless we allow it to.

So I'm going to continue to wear my Patriots gear whenever and wherever I my job has me travelling. And I look forward to it now more than ever.

 

[captain insano]

kraft needs to get off his ass and speak up. ive lost all respect for him.

 

[RayClay]

I would bet that he said what he said because all involved from the pats end agreed that's what should be said.....it was obvious the intent was to not open dialogue about Brady......he kept it about what falls within his control.

The Pats always say as little as possible

Because they are smart. For what it's worth, TMZ has a pic of Kraft with his stick figure trophy girl decked out in Patriots regalia walking conspicuously through Central Park NY.

He made pretty strong statements twice anyone who expects more than that is just goofy, in my opinion. He's a prominent owner and billionaire and has a problem that's going to take the best of public relations and legal people to solve. You can't take back words once said.

People expect him to attack like a rabid dog, or a wrestler hiding a foreign object. we already have one drunken drug addict owner and the embarrassment that is Jerry Jones. Kraft had best comport himself with dignity and class while he works on his strategy. to do otherwise would be a disservice to the franchise, Belichick and Brady. He needs to be the adult. the losers and head dipwad have got the whining lying baby behavior covered.