Patriots' Kraft unsure if relationship with Goodell will ever be the same

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said his relationship with commissioner Roger Goodell has been irreparably altered following the fallout from the Deflategate scandal.

Tom Brady was issued a four-game suspension following a lengthy legal battle, while the Patriots were fined $1 million and docked a first-round draft pick.

Goodell may be forced to hand the Lombardi Trophy to Kraft if the Patriots emerge victorious over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and the 75-year-old spoke about his frayed bond with the commissioner.

"I don't know if it will ever be the same, but in order to do what is best for the Patriots franchise long term, I believe it is best to compartmentalize and move on," Kraft said to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. "Like our quarterback, I am trying to remain positive and look to the future rather than dwell on the past. As a native New Englander, that's easier said than done, but I am doing my best to put the matter behind me."

Kraft has been an ardent supporter of Donald Trump and said that the president empathized with him after the death of his wife, Myra, in 2011.

"When Myra died, Melania and Donald came up to the funeral in our synagogue, then they came for memorial week to visit with me," Kraft said. "Then he called me once a week for the whole year, the most depressing year of my life when I was down and out. He called me every week to see how I was doing, invited me to things, tried to lift my spirits. He was one of five or six people that were like that. I remember that."