Robert Kraft Tells Patriots To Ignore DeflateGate Noise
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made his thoughts on DeflateGate pretty clear, and he doesn't want the "overblown" hoopla to detract from his team's preparations for the upcoming season.
He echoed his feelings again Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium, as members of the organization and hundreds of fans enjoyed a classy evening at Patriots Premiere, the team's annual kickoff gala.
Kraft urged his players to remain focused on the task ahead of them and ignore the noise created by DeflateGate, which has dominated news cycles for the last seven months.
"I spoke on behalf of the team and addressed the organization's position regarding, in my opinion, the most overblown story in recent NFL history," Kraft said. "I advised our coach, his staff and all of our players to ignore the noise and keep their focus on what is most important for this coming season."
Even Tom Brady had some fun on the stage, joined by teammates Rob Gronkowski, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater. With emcee Scott Zolak asking a question about the offseason, Brady made light of his situation, replying, "It's been such an enjoyable offseason." The crack drew laughter from those in attendance.
Brady's comment comes just a few hours after Judge Richard Berman continued the seemingly endless wait for a DeflateGate verdict, releasing a statement that his ruling on the matter will be released by the end of the week.
But deflated football talk was just a blip on the Patriots radar Tuesday night. When asked what made their offseasons so enjoyable, Slater pointed to his wedding just six days after New England's Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seattle Seahawks. McCourty said he was a little behind Slater, saying his highlight was his recent engagement.
Gronk, of course, shared how much fun he had on the duck boats, but we all already knew how much fun he had parading through the streets of Boston.
Brady admitted that following teammate Julian Edelman on Instagram was the highlight of his offseason.
It should also be noted that a one-hour passing clinic with Brady, which includes lunch and a tour of the locker room, raised $85,000 for the Patriots Charitable Foundation.
New England left tackle Nate Solder also received the Ron Burton Community Service Award on Tuesday.
