Patriots owner won't appeal Deflategate penalties

[Da-news-now]

Team was fined $1 million, docked two draft picks, including 2016 first rounder.

Continue reading...

 

[57packer]

A little surprised by this. I'd have thought he'd fight a little more to see if he could get that 1st Rd pick changed to something later. Either Kraft was taking the high road to get it over with, or maybe he was worried that as this went along there would be more testimony, especially if this went to court and the testimony was under oath, and this would turn against them in a hurry.

 

[Cheesedog]

Surprised me too to be honest.... But like I said in the other thread Kraft is a business man. And if he pressed this issue he'd essentially be attacking his own business interest. Have a feeling the other owners put some pressure on. He had never admitted wrongdoing, was successful in showing how weak the Wells report was, galvanized his fan base, and is gonna make millions off of it. It's a win for him already...

 

[Frozen Tundra]

Have to wonder what went on behind the scenes here, too. "Come on, Bob, be reasonable. And when the time is right..."

 

[Cheesedog]

Have to wonder what went on behind the scenes here, too. "Come on, Bob, be reasonable. And when the time is right..."

i'm sure the other owners where putting pressure on him to move on and drop it.

 

[Cheesedog]

Interesting discussion on First Take about this today.. I know you take the show with a big grain of salt. However, this is an organization who routinely casts off star players when they think they're near the end. So maybe Kraft made a business decision not to expend resources fighting this since Brady is what 37? And near the age when statistically even good QB's start falling off the cliff... (Peyton not withstanding)...?

 

[Budman]

I think Kraft was mad they took a shot at him and his teams integrity. In turn, he took his best shot at the Wells report. As CD said, he galvanized his fan base and is ready to move on.

 

[Cheesedog]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-institute-calls-ted-wells-report-unreliable/

A separate and much longer report posted at AEI’s website reaches the same primary conclusion. AEI found that the footballs used by the Colts showed less of a reduction at halftime because they had a longer chance to experience an increase in air pressure in the warmer environment inside the locker room while the footballs used by the Patriots were being tested and re-inflated.
This report could give Commissioner Roger Goodell the “new information” needed to disregard the findings of the Wells report, concluding that the evidence did not point to tampering on the day of the AFC title game — and in turn that Brady deserves no punishment. To reach that conclusion, however, Goodell will have to admit that he hired an investigator who did a poor job. Which would mean that Goodell did a poor job in hiring Ted Wells.
Which could mean that Goodell will give no credence to the findings of AEI.
While the points made by AEI are hardly new, they now have a degree of credibility that makes the work hard to ignore. The real question moving forward is how hard will the Commissioner work to ignore them?

Because it's a slow slow slow news time... Puts more into perspective Goodells refusal to let an independent arbiter hear the appeal. He's protecting himself as more and more questions come out.

 

[Pugger]

I suspect his fellow owners urged him to drop it more than anything else.

 

[Jeremy]

I suspect his fellow owners urged him to drop it more than anything else.

I don't think he has much support from other owners. I've heard that strange things tend to happen at Foxboro even beyond what's been reported. It's probably safe to assume what they've been caught doing is just the tip of the iceberg.