Patriots owner on Deflategate: "I was wrong to put my faith in the league"
A day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension for the scandal known as Deflatefate, Patriots owner Robert Kraft blasted the league, saying that the NFL's actions were "incomprehensible" and that he regrets not initially appealing penalties against the team.
"I was wrong to put my faith in the league," Kraft said.
Kraft said that the league's claim that Brady trashed his cellphone was just the latest in a series of statements and leaks designed to impugn the integrity of Brady and the team.
Kraft said, "I have come to the conclusion that this was never about doing what was fair and just."
Kraft called Brady a "person of great integrity" and questioned why the league pressed on with an investigation without any hard evidence.
"It is incomprehensible to me that the league continues to take steps to disparage one of its all-time great players," Kraft said.
Meanwhile, Patriots coach Bill Belichick deflected questions about the saga but said Brady's suspension won't alter his team's preparation for the season.
When asked whether backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would get more practice in camp, Belichick replied by saying: "We practice everybody."
Earlier, Brady vowed to fight his four-game suspension, writing Wednesday in a 507-word Facebook post: "I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either."
Brady also denied destroying his cellphone to keep it out of the hands of investigators.
"To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong," the three-time Super Bowl MVP said. "There is no 'smoking gun' and this controversy is manufactured to distract from the fact they have zero evidence of wrongdoing."
Brady was suspended four games and the team was docked $1 million and two draft picks after the league found improperly inflated footballs were used in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. Investigator Ted Wells zeroed in on two equipment managers - one who called himself "The Deflator" - and said Brady was "at least generally aware" of the illegal deflation scheme.
The Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl for their fourth NFL title under Brady and Belichick.
Brady, who had earlier denied cheating accusations with the tepid "I don't think so," more forcefully defended himself in the Facebook post, claiming he cooperated with the investigation except where doing so would have set a bad precedent for his union brethren.
"I respect the Commissioners authority, but he also has to respect the (collective bargaining agreement) and my rights as a private citizen," Brady wrote. "I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight."