We'll see by this time tomorrow if Jones is all bluster or if he actually follows through on his threat.
Kraft's response, or lack thereof, two years ago was ridiculous and it makes even less sense now. There's something to be said for an owner who swallows their pride, puts aside their grievance and stands down for the "good of the 32." When I think of situations like that, though, they instances where an owner agrees to share a previously monopolized revenue stream, stops pushing their candidate for a position so the league can move forward or allows another franchise to share their stadium. In those instances, the owner who makes the compromise gives up something, but will see a benefit in the future. For example, the owner who shares a revenue stream may see less money in the short term, but if that move makes the league stronger, then they’ll see a financial benefit from that.
With Kraft and the deflated football accusations, what was the short term benefit for the league and what was going to help Kraft in the future? The NFL, for whatever reason, thought it was a good idea to call the accomplishments of one of their greatest dynasties into question. Kraft thought he was “ending the rhetoric,” but all he did was give the league permission to label his franchise as cheaters. There’s no future payoff for that.
If Kraft knew the NFL was wrong (and they were) in framing and railroading Brady, then he should have gone through the same actions as Jones is now. Allowing a corrupt league office to make things up as they go and punish whoever they want, however they want is bad for the sport. It would be a blow to the league to expose them and rebuild, but that would be better than doing nothing and letting the behavior get worse.
