Roger Goodell Believes DeflateGate Did No Harm To Relationship With Robert Kraft
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Football is a big business. Robert Kraft is a big businessman. Roger Goodell is, essentially, in charge of all the businessmen.
And sometimes in the course of big business, some decisions are made. And absent any reasonable explanation, the businessmen simply say "that's just business" and continue on making all of their money.
And in Roger Goodell's mind, that is the ultimate resolution of his two-year crusade known cordially as "DeflateGate."
In a comment to a Jerusalem Post reporter (discovered by Pro Football Talk), Goodell said the whole ordeal is just water under the bridge.
"Robert is very important to me personally," Goodell said. "My friendship with Robert was never strained. We both understand that we have jobs."
There's a hint of accuracy with that comment in that both men do have jobs. But to say the relationship with Kraft was "never strained" is probably to see a shattered, empty glass as being "half full."
While Kraft ultimately held out his own wrists to try to bear the brunt of Goodell's excessive punishment for a violation which was never proven (and if anything, was disproven), he was judged by many Patriots fans as selling out the team in favor of remaining in good standing with the league. While some have taken that judgment to the extreme, there is an element of truth to it. After all, Kraft did speak of "the partnership of 32 teams" taking precedence over the agenda of one team.
But on the other hand, as more and more information came out to expose the league office for running an unquestionably slanted and unreasonable "investigation" into the matter, Kraft came to see a bit more of the light. He ended up covertly referring to the ordeal in his celebratory speeches both after the AFC championship and the Super Bowl.
"I told our fans that [Super Bowl XLIX] was the sweetest one of all. But a lot has transpired during the last two years," Kraft said on the stage in Houston in February. "I don't think that needs any explanation. But I want to say to our fans, our brilliant coaching staff, our amazing players who are so spectacular, this is unequivocally the sweetest."
In January, prior to the Patriots' victory, Kraft said flat-out that his relationship with Goodell was affected by the way the commissioner and his employees acted.
"I don't know if it will ever be the same," Kraft said in January of his relationship with Goodell. "But in order to do what is best for the Patriots franchise long term, I believe it is best to compartmentalize and move on. … 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."
Notably, Kraft skipped Goodell's "state of the NFL" press conference prior to Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix. He did, however, attend the press conference this year in Houston.
Kraft has also done some thinking about why the whole thing ever happened.
"Envy and jealousy are incurable diseases. The haters still hate," he told HBO. "And I understand it, and we'll do our best to keep them in that position."
Kraft did say that he did not intend to hold a grudge. And you know, it's more than possible that going forward, he and Goodell are able to conduct themselves properly in any and all league and team matters.
But to say the relationship was never strained after leaking fake PSI numbers and lying about what they knew beforehand and covertly utilizing league counsel and executive VP Jeff Pash to "edit" the "independent" investigation report before its public release and manipulating images and lying to the faces of three federal judges?
It would take a man living in his own universe to believe all of that led to zero strain in his relationship with the affected party. In that regard, Roger is just the man for the job.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.