Patriots owner Robert Kraft stands by Tom Brady, calls Wells Report 'very disturbing'
Speaking publicly for the first time since his team was disciplined by the NFL, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft remains convinced Tom Brady played no part in the alleged deflating of footballs prior to the AFC Championship game.
"... We had the discussion - if you did it, let's just deal with it and take our hit and move on," Kraft told Peter King of The MMQB on Saturday. "I've known Tommy 16 years, almost half his life. He's a man, and he's always been honest with me, and I trust him. I believed what he told me. He has never lied to me, and I have found no hard or conclusive evidence to the contrary."
Kraft is also convinced that there is no smoking gun tying anyone within the Patriots' organization to the deflated footballs, and believes the Wells Report distorted science to fit an incorrect conclusion.
"This whole thing has been very disturbing," Kraft said. "I'm still thinking things out very carefully. But when you work for something your whole life …
"I just get really worked up. To receive the harshest penalty in league history is just not fair. The anger and frustration with this process, to me, it wasn't fair. If we're giving all the power to the NFL and the office of the commissioner, this is something that can happen to all 32 teams. We need to have fair and balanced investigating and reporting. But in this report, every inference went against us … inferences from ambiguous, circumstantial evidence all went against us. That's the thing that really bothers me."
The Patriots were fined $1 million - the largest franchise fine in the history of the NFL - and lost a pair of draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2016. The league also suspended Brady for the first four games of the 2015 season, which he's appealed through the NFLPA.
King says Kraft was elusive at times during their 50-minute phone conversation. Asked whether he intends to go to court in an attempt to have the penalties overturned, Kraft replied, "I'm not going to comment on that at this point in time. I'm going to leave it. I won't say."
Kraft also refused to say why he suspended John Jastremski and Jim McNally, the two team employees at the center of the Wells Report, despite vehemently proclaiming his organization's innocence.
As for why he accepted league-imposed sanctions for illegal videotaping in 2007 but not these penalties, Kraft said it comes down to facts.
"Last time, there was no dispute about the facts. The team admittedly said what happened … It was illegal to videotape (the opposing sidelines), and in the end we admitted it and took our penance," he said.
"This is very different. In 2007, we did something and acknowledged the fact of what was done. This is an accusation of wrongdoing, without proof."