Ravens Owner Denies Pressuring Goodell To Uphold Tom Brady's Suspension
BALTIMORE (CBS) -- Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has denied a report that he's urging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to uphold Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension.
Last week, there was a report that a "small handful of influential owners" were urging Goodell to stand firm in the DeflateGate punishment issued to the New England quarterback. On Friday, ESPN's Sal Paolantonio named Bisciotti and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay as two owners who didn't want to see Brady let off the hook easy.
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"You're angering some of the hardcore owners out there (by potentially reducing the suspension)," Paolantonio said. "I know who they are and I'm going to name them right now. Jim Irsay of the Colts, Steve Bisciotti of the Ravens and others in the AFC who believe that the Patriots have gotten away with murder for years and have not been publicly punished properly."
But in a statement issued Sunday on Ravens.com, Bisciotti said the story was "100% wrong."
"I have not and will not put any pressure on the Commissioner or anyone representing the NFL office to take action in what everyone is calling 'Deflategate," Bisciotti said. "The story circulating that I have put pressure on Roger (Goodell) is 100% wrong. The reports are unfair to Robert Kraft, who is an honorable person, and to his franchise.
"Let's talk about football and the start of training camps. Fans and people like me want the issue resolved now."
