Kraft Reiterates Support For Brady, Calls DeflateGate Discipline 'Extremely Unfair'
FOXBORO (CBS) – New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reiterated his stance on Tom Brady's fight with the NFL, saying the organization "had and will continue to have Tom's back."
Kraft made the comments at a Patriots draft party on Friday night. The owner said he views Brady as a son, calling him an "exceptional person with the highest level of integrity."
"We always have had and will continue to have Tom's back, especially when he's being treated unfairly. And he knows that," Kraft said, according to the team's official website.
"All the decisions this organization, and I personally, have made through this ordeal have been focused on putting Tom in the best possible position for success."
Kraft said he has been in "constant communication" with Brady in the 16 months since the quarterback was accused of playing a role in the deflation of footballs during the 2015 AFC Title Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
"We are both on the same page and he knows exactly where my allegiances and the total team's are, relative to the extremely unfair discipline that he has been subjected to," Kraft said, via Patriots.com.
Brady and Kraft had several conversations over the past week, the owner said. On Monday the NFL was victorious in appealing Judge Richard Berman's decision to overturn Brady's 4-game suspension.
Friday, the NFLPA filed paperwork on Brady's behalf adding attorney Theodore B. Olson as as additional counsel, a sign that Brady is willing to take his fight as far as possible.
The D.C. lawyer has argued before the Supreme Court 62 times, winning more than 75 percent of those cases.
Kraft came under fire from some Patriots fans when he opted not to fight the team's DeflateGate punishing. Commissioner Roger Goodell docked the Patriots a first round draft pick this year, a fourth-round draft pick next year and $1 million.
"I share in our fans' anger and frustration with the penalties the league has levied and the entire process and how it was conducted," Kraft said. "But please trust that I am always trying to do what is best for this franchise and pledge that I will always continue to do that."