New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a surprise media appearance Wednesday morning to underscore the team's disappointment in the NFL's decision to uphold Tom Brady's four-game suspension.
"The decision handed down by the league yesterday is unfathomable by me," he said.
A fiery Kraft apologized to his fan base for accepting the NFL's punishment in May, a $1 million fine and the loss of a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round selection in 2017. Kraft said he believed doing so would help "exonerate" Brady.
"I truly believe what I did in May, given the actual evidence of this situation and the league's history on discipline matters, would make it much easier for the league to exonerate Tom Brady. Unfortunately, I was wrong ...
"I was wrong to put my faith in the league," he said
Kraft bashed the NFL's investigation, reiterating the team's stance that the league still has "no hard evidence" of anyone in the Patriots organization tampering with PSI levels.
"I've come to the conclusion this was never about doing what was fair and just," he said of the NFL's investigation.
Kraft bashed the NFL's tactics, including taking the case to court and not correcting "erroneous" reports. The Patriots owner also took issue with Commissioner Roger Goodell's release of information that Brady destroyed his cell phone prior to meeting with the NFL.
"Yesterday's decision by Commissioner Goodell was released in a similar matter, under an erroneous headline that read: 'Tom Brady destroyed his cell phone,'" he said. "This headline was designed to capture headlines across the country and obscure evidence regarding the tampering of air pressure in footballs. It intentionally implied nefarious behavior and minimized the acknowledgement that Tom provided the history of every number he texted during that relevant time frame and we had already provided the league with every cell phone of every non-NFL PA employee that they requested, including head coach Bill Belichick."
Kraft underscored his faith in Brady, saying some in the NFL office are determined to undermine the quarterback's reputation.
"Tom Brady is a person of great integrity and a great ambassador of the game, both on and off the field. Yet for reasons that I cannot comprehend there are those in the league office who are more determined to prove that they were right rather than admit any culpability of their own or take any responsibility for the initiation of the process and the ensuing investigation that was flawed."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's four-game suspension and Eric Berry's comeback.
