The NFL rumor mill is working overtime in New England this offseason, churning out so many tall tales that Patriots owner Robert Kraft feels compelled to set the record straight.
As Rob Gronkowskiangles for a new contract, the latest balderdash came late last week via a local freelance reporter who claimed coach Bill Belichick wanted to trade his All Pro tight end until quarterback Tom Brady threatened to retire.
Since then, Gronkowski and the organization have vigorously refuted the report.
Speaking at the Myra Kraft Community MVP event on Tuesday, Kraft went a step further, labeling the Gronkowski scuttlebutt "a bunch of hogwash."
"I guess when your team is good people are looking for things," Kraft said, via ESPN's Mike Reiss. "I'll just tell you it's a bunch of hogwash that I vetoed some trade. That was never in the works. It's just completely made up.
"I think we have to be careful in society today that people can't just come out and say things like this bit about us trading Gronk to the 49ers or Tennessee. There's no basis to it and it gets a life of its own. I just want to go on record at today's event to make sure that you all understand that there's no truth that. People shouldn't be able to do that."
Based on the steady stream of rumor and innuendo emanating from New England, one might get the sense that the Patriots dynasty has begun crumbling around Belichick and Kraft. For all of the offseason drama trailing Brady and Gronkowski, however, the business side of the sport tends to take a backseat once training camps open.
Time will tell how strong the relationships remain among a legendary quartet comprised of the most successful owner, coach, quarterback and tight end of this century. When they descend on Gillette Stadium late next month, they will open camp, once again, as the AFC's prohibitive favorites.