But Kraft isn't a player, he's an owner. He, more than any, has risked his own money betting the team and attendance would be enough so he didn't have to mortgaage his other businesses.
He's also a member of management. When the NFLPA tries to destroy the league in arbitration or court, he is by definition, on the other side. He forged the agreement for petes sake.this is a big reason, to me, he needs to stay out of this battle. He can no more turn around and attack the league as a player than he can grab a helmet and go on the field. Of course, being one of 32 people on the planet who can collectively get rid of goodell, he can do damage in his actual role.
I realize people can't help walking into continuous success, but there are lots worse owners than kraft and we've had, or almost had, some of them. It's amazing we actually have a team here and LA does not.
I think you are getting closer to the point.
Kraft is not on Brady's side. Sure he would love for Brady to not be suspended, but if Brady goes to court, Kraft is 1 of the 32 defendants. And anyone who thinks it will be about psi or 4 games when it reaches that point is kidding themselves. The NFLPA is going for the throat.
My issue with Kraft is that he simply handled this poorly and allowed himself to be raped by Goodell and the owners. First, he should have sat Goodell down in January and made him find the source of the leaks and fire them. The league is hurt worse than the Patriots by employing people who will leak. Second, he should have been involved in the Wells process. There is no way in hell that the Patriots should be exposed to 'non cooperation' because attorneys disagreed over the rights and obligations of an additional interview. Kraft should have been there to make sure this was handled correctly behind closed doors before it became public.
But most importantly, he was sold a bill of goods that punishing the Patriots unfairly and without evidence was someone in the best interest of the NFL. It is not. He should have never allowed the punishment to begin with (the failing here is that the owners cannot manage Goodell) but even if we take aside everything I've said up to this point, when it all came down, he needed to be a defender and champion of the integrity of his team. If wasting his time on an appeal he knew he couldn't win was the price of sending the message that his team has been falsely accused and convicted, then that is what he needed to do.
He not only failed to do that, but he stood up in front of America, and essentially said they found us guilty, we accept it, and won't argue. He chose for a franchise and fan base to take it lying down. He chose in the midst of being called cheaters to say he accepts that some people think that and chooses to not argue. He said it took too long. He said he could continue, but it wasn't worth it. He said his partners wanted the Patriots to accept a vicious and unfair penalty, so he has to because that is where his loyalty stands. He said what is best for the Patriots means less to him than what the other 31 owners feel is best for them.
I can understand big picture thinking that no team is bigger than the league, but what Kraft did was sell out his team for nothing. No good came of it. The league gains nothing by punishing the Patriots. It just came down to 31 men knowing the 32nd is weak and would fold, so they decided to make their own power play and show him he was insignificant to them.
Never had a choice to choose the year I was born. Besides, I fell in love with Brady long before I ever could appreciate Kraft. #TB12
