NFL Owner: DeflateGate Saga 'Embarrassing To Our League'
BOSTON (CBS) -- An anonymous NFL owner spoke to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, and he made it very clear: The owners empowered Roger Goodell to have complete control of disciplinary decisions, and so there should be no crying in football.
On that note, amid the ongoing saga known as "DeflateGate," the unnamed NFL owner feels little sympathy for Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
"It's hypocritical for the union to say they hate the process or for Robert to put up such a fight. Robert didn't have a problem with the process when it was used against other teams," the owner told Freeman. "You simply can't vote to give Roger the power he has, then get upset when he uses it."
However, this NFL owner is clearly fed up with the way the league has looked through the process, which has now been going on for more than seven full months.
"This entire episode is embarrassing our sport," the owner told Freeman. "It makes us look horrible. Think about how long this has gone on. This shouldn't happen. ... Nothing like this happens in other leagues. Why our league?"
That's a question that many fans -- at least in New England -- have been asking for months, and it's one with no easy answer. Certainly, when the commissioner of the league is taking one of the game's biggest superstars to federal court over the inflation level of a ball, nobody comes out looking good.
As for those court proceedings, the owner hasn't enjoyed seeing the updates over the past two weeks.
"Like I said, this is embarrassing to our league," the owner reiterated.
On the one hand, such comments are an indication that perhaps some owners might apply some pressure on Goodell to end this fight and allow the country to focus on football. At the same time, the fact that his owner is speaking under the cloak of anonymity -- just like everybody else has over the past seven months -- indicates that more likely than not, the comments will spark no change.