Roger Goodell may have had a closer relationship with Robert Kraft than he did with any other NFL team owner, and then Deflategate happened. Goodell dropped the hammer on Brady and the New England Patriots on Monday, and he likely lost a friend in the process.
One NFL owner reportedly told Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman that he believes the relationship between Goodell and Kraft is “pretty much dead.”
“I can’t say for certain but it sure seems that way to me,” the owner said. “Some of us (owners) are waiting a little nervously to see what Robert does next.”
What Kraft could do next is sue the NFL. As Barry Petchesky of Deadspin reminds us, former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis was the last NFL owner to sue the league, and he won his antitrust case in 1989. Kraft initially said that he was disappointed with the Ted Wells investigation but would accept the NFL’s action in the wake of it, though he seemed to back down from that in his statement on Monday.
“Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league,” Kraft wrote. “Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence.”
Kraft was downright defiant when addressing the Deflategate scandal before the Wells investigation was released. He first demanded an apology from the NFL and then expressed confidence that there would be no smoking gun with the investigation. With the way things have been unfolding, it was obvious the relationship between Kraft and Goodell would not be the same no matter what the outcome.
With his incredibly harsh punishment against Brady and the Patriots, Goodell sent a message across the league. He was clearly out to make amends for some botched disciplinary action in the past — like Ray Rice — and also prove he will not play favorites.
How close were Kraft and Goodell before Deflategate? There are some photos here that should give you an idea, plus we know some owners around the league used to refer to Kraft as the “assistant commissioner.” Times have clearly changed.
