Two days ago, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faced the media to talk about his team’s offseason. The major topic that was discussed, though, dates back to 2014: Deflategate.
Kraft mentioned that he wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, once more pleading his case why the team should get its draft picks back in the light of new evidence (at least new to the league). However, without seemingly any momentum for the Patriots' cause, the chance to recoup the forfeited selections is slim – something Kraft’s son Jonathan, the team’s president, echoed yesterday.
Jonathan Kraft spoke with CSNNE’s Tom Curran about Deflategate and its fallout, making his feelings on the topic clear:
We empathize greatly with [the fans’] feelings and I can tell you that we are extremely angry, disappointed, confused. We feel the exact same way. And I think a lot has gone on behind the scenes over the last couple of months, where we feel like we’ve presented a lot of evidence and a lot of information which would hopefully lead the league to conclude that maybe the judgement that was initially made was not appropriate. The league has essentially decided otherwise and it’s very frustrating, it’s very disappointing.
In the video posted on csnne.com, Kraft’s disappointment is clearly visible, especially given that the Patriots’ point of view has been supported by virtually all of the science community. It was, however, ignored by the league. Therefore, the chance of getting the draft selections back – given the possibilities the team has – is slim to non-existent, something Kraft understands:
You can go to court, but when you sign up to be a part of this league you agree essentially not to sue the league. But even if you did go to court, you go to court you win money damages. It’ll take longer than the time before the draft happens and the money isn’t the issue here, the issue is getting your draft pick back and at some point you have to realize it’s not gonna happen […]
The Patriots’ team president also presented how the club plans strike back, though:
[…] the best revenge will be putting the best team on the field next year and hopefully having a very successful season.
As has been the case the past years, New England intends to do its talking on the field. Hopefully, in regards to Deflategate, the team will be more successful on the field than off it.