Robert Kraft Addresses Deflategate In Surprise Press Conference

Monday, January 26, 2015

Matt LaPan, Go Local Sports Reporter

Robert Kraft

The Patriots arrived in Glendale, Arizona, on Monday and were quickly escorted to the press room to conduct their opening press conferences for Senior Bowl week. While this is normal for both teams to do, the Patriots press availability started off in an unusual way. The media was addressed by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft in an unannounced press conference, discussing the recent Deflategate scandal.

"Given the events of the last week, I want to take the time to address the air pressure matter," Kraft started. "I have spoken with Coach Belichick. I have spoken with Tom Brady. I've taken the time to understand to the best of my ability what goes on in the preparation of game day footballs. I want to make it clear, I believe unconditionally the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process in violation of NFL rules."

Kraft continued by defending his coach and quarterback. "Tom, Bill and I have been together for 15 years. They are my guys," Kraft said. "They are part of my family. And Bill, Tom and I have had many difficult discussions over the years. And I have never known them to lie to me. That is why I am confident in saying what I just said. It bothers me greatly their reputations and integrity, and by association, that of our team, has been called into question this past week."

Kraft finished in shocking fashion, stating that he expects an apology if the Patriots are exonerated. "If the Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs, I would expect and hope the league would apologize to our entire team and in particular, Coach Belichick and Tom Brady, for what they’ve had to endure this past week."