BOCA RATON, Fla. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he personally wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, laying out his case for the reinstatement of the team's first-round draft pick.
Speaking Monday at the league meetings, Kraft wouldn't say whether he got a response from Goodell, who docked the Patriots first- and fourth-round picks, fined the club $1 million and suspended quarterback Tom Brady four games as punishment for the so-called Deflategate case.
Asked whether he holds out any hope of getting back the pick in April's draft, Kraft said: “I pray and desire. … I think since we’ve owned the team, we’ve had in 22 years three seasons that are under .500 and you do it in this age of parity. Everything is the scheduling, the salary cap – it’s very hard to compete without the lifeblood. And so we understand the importance and I assure you we've done everything we can do that has a chance of success.”
Kraft declined to comment on the NFL's ongoing appeal of a federal judge's ruling that vacated Goodell's decision to uphold Brady's suspension, allowing the two-time league MVP and four-time Super Bowl winner to play last season – and play well, as the Patriots advanced to another AFC championship game.
“I personally wrote a letter to the commissioner, responding to his comment that if any new facts came up, he would take them into consideration,” Kraft said. “And I personally believe that when the league made their decision, they did not factor in the Ideal Gas Law. They admitted that publicly.
“They’ve had a full year of being able to observe Tom Brady play with all the rules of whatever the NFL was and make any judgments there. We had laid it out pretty straightforward and now it’s up to them to decide.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league and Goodell have no comment on whether they are considering restoring the Patriots' pick.
The NFL has said it conducted random spot checks at games last season to ensure proper procedures for the handling of footballs was followed, in light of its findings – disputed by Brady and the Patriots – that Brady participated in a scheme to deflate footballs in the team’s January 2015 AFC title win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“They did their own testing, they have results, but for whatever reason, they haven’t shared them with any of us,” Kraft said. “And we actually requested at the beginning of the season that they test every game throughout the league and do that. But they chose to do it their way.”
Kraft wrote the letter to Goodell over a month ago, he said.
After announcing in May 2015 the Patriots wouldn’t fight the organization’s punishment, Kraft changed tone dramatically in light of Goodell’s decision as arbitrator to uphold Brady’s suspension, saying he “was wrong to put my faith in the league.”
Asked Monday if there’s anything the Patriots can do in the legal system to get its picks restored, Kraft said: “When you join the NFL, it’s a partnership and you agree to abide by certain rules and conditions. We have tried to work the system as best we can, and now, it’s working its way out.”
Goodell is scheduled to speak to the media at the close of these meetings Wednesday.
Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.
