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Robert Kraft Will Not Fight Patriots' Deflategate Penalties, But Still Unhappy With NFL

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft yesterday said that he "will not appeal" the penalties the team received from the NFL in the Deflategate investigation, according to a front-page piece by Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. Kraft, speaking at the NFL's owners meeting in S.F., instead said that he will "'reluctantly' accept the penalties and end the bickering between the team" and Commissioner Roger Goodell's office. Kraft’s decision "does not appear to have any bearing" on Patriots QB Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension, which was filed by the NFLPA last week. Kraft said, "At no time should the agenda of one team outweigh the collective good of the full 32.” Volin notes while most NFL owners and league personnel "have declined to comment since the Patriots’ punishments were handed down, the few owners who have spoken out" -- the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, Falcons' Arthur Blank, and Texans' Bob McNair -- have "sided with the commissioner for protecting the integrity of the NFL." Shortly after Kraft’s statement, McNair said that he "appreciated Kraft’s position and praised him for putting the NFL ahead of his own agenda." Kraft said that the bickering "wasn’t doing the NFL any good, even if he believes that the Patriots did nothing wrong" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/20). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman notes Kraft "did reiterate his criticism of NFL’s handling of the matter, saying it has gone on far too long" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/20).

OPTING FOR THE HIGH ROAD: In Boston, Ron Borges writes Kraft "will be criticized by some for not fighting on, but sometimes to not fight is the way to truly win." Kraft "did the right thing," and what he "came to realize in this case ... was that this was doing neither his team nor the league any good" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/20). ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said this was the "right thing to do" and added of Kraft, "He is the owner of the Patriots, but he’s also a pragmatic businessman." MacMullan: "It behooves him to meet the commissioner halfway and to let this go. It is the best thing for the NFL” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 5/19). NFL Network's Michael Silver said of Kraft, "I admire him even more after this. Obviously, this was not something he loved doing because he feels as though he has grounds to fight.” Silver added, “I would hope that everybody adopts this spirit of reconciliation and good business and what’s best for the NFL” (NFL Network, 5/19). THE MMQB's Peter King writes Kraft "didn’t have the stomach to go rogue, a la Al Davis, in the courts." Kraft, though "bitterly disappointed in the NFL’s sanction of his team, doesn’t have the stomach to battle the league in what would be an ugly case." Also, Kraft is a "league guy" (MMQB.SI.com, 5/20). ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said Deflategate “has gone on way too long and it’s not good for the NFL." Perhaps Kraft thought that the team "would not win an appeal” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 5/19). Kraft did not take questions following his address yesterday, and ESPN's Adam Schefter speculated that Kraft did not trust himself "to answer questions honestly without criticizing the league” ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 5/19).

NOT ENOUGH SUPPORT TO WIN APPEAL: ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss wrote Kraft's decision was "mostly about feeling he had reached a point that he could no longer win." Taking the issue to court "was never seriously considered once initial emotions cooled, because it would forever change Kraft's standing in league circles and he didn't want that" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/19). Also in Boston, Karen Guregian writes under the header, "Stunning To See Robert Kraft Cave To NFL." After spending recent weeks "blasting away at the NFL and the Wells Report, Kraft did an about face." Guregian: "He caved. There has to be a reason." Kraft "likely tested the waters with his fellow owners and wasn’t exactly getting the kind of support he hoped or envisioned" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/20). CSNNE.com's Gary Tanguay wrote Kraft "wasn't going the route of Al Davis; he wouldn't go rogue and sue the league." Tanguay: "He wasn’t going to win, and he would have alienated himself from the other teams" (CSNNE.com, 5/19). NFL Network's Silver said, “I suspect what Robert Kraft did at that podium is being very, very well received by his peers” (NFL Network, 5/19). ESPN's Dan Le Batard: “This was all the owners saying, ‘We need this to go away.’ This isn’t Goodell. Goodell works for those guys: 31 against 1, that’s what made Kraft bow” (“Highly Questionable,” ESPN, 5/19).

TIME TO FACE THE MASSES
: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes Kraft "caved," as he "wimped out and left combative Patriot fans spitting out pieces of their broken luck." If Brady’s entire punishment is "stricken from the record, Patriots fans might be able to turn this into a victory, but anything short of that makes Kraft’s capitulation a big loss" for the franchise. Shaughnessy: "You can assign nobility to Kraft’s gesture, but deep down we all know that by accepting these sanctions ... the Patriots are admitting that they are at least a little guilty in the systematic deflation of game-day footballs" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/20). Also in Boston, Steve Buckley writes, "In the opinion of a lot of Pats fans, Kraft sold out." The "biggest mistake Kraft made was giving Patriots fans the fuel they needed to believe this was a winnable fight." Buckley: "Now we are seeing Pats fans at their worst -- petty, vindictive, unrealistic." They "couldn’t possibly assign any blame to Tom Brady; it’s much easier to blame Kraft for not getting all Al Davis on the NFL" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/20). CSNNE.com's Tom Curran wrote this decision to accept the punishment "was made for the NFL community, not for Kraft’s constituents and -- after whipping up the masses -- standing down looks awful" (CSNNE.com, 5/19). ESPN BOSTON's Reiss wrote this is "going to be a tough sell" among Patriots fans, and Kraft can "expect to be hammered for this" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/19). However, SI.com's Austin Murphy wrote Kraft "showed wisdom, farsighted-ness, and class," and he "took one for the team." Some "whipsawed Patriots partisans weren’t taking it well," but for the "sake of the league, he was willing to take the short-term heat from a bunch of outraged chowderheads who’d been spoiling for a brawl" (SI.com, 5/19). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes the "unintended consequence is that Kraft surely disappointed Patriots fans, but he also provided Goodell with a huge and much-needed vote of confidence" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/20).

LOOKING OUT FOR HIMSELF
: BLEACHER REPORT's Mike Freeman writes Kraft "knows that his legacy is part of this story."  Part of the reason for backing down is because Kraft is a "good league man," and he "doesn't want to go rogue." Deflategate "won't impact Kraft's Hall of Fame bid," but two of the "biggest scandals in league history happened under his ownership." Freeman: "Trust me: That is not lost on him" (BLEACHERREPORT.com, 5/20). CSNNE.com's Curran wrote the "optics of the NFL’s most respected owner, a man hailed as the great unifier in the 2011 labor struggle, fighting the league and the commissioner through the media and possibly in the courts were going to be bad." It also was "going to impact Kraft’s legacy." Curran: "Engaging in a bare-knuckles brawl with Roger Goodell and the NFL was going to look unseemly. To the country. To Kraft’s fellow owners. To Hall of Fame voters. And all that matters to Kraft" (CSNNE.com, 5/19). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes Kraft has "come off as very human through all of this." Bell: "Conflicted. Emotional. Defensive. Angry." He is "undoubtedly concerned about how this latest stain, nearly eight years after Spygate, will weigh on the legacy of this generation's NFL dynasty." But it was "hardly shocking when Kraft laid down his figurative sword" (USA TODAY, 5/20). ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said Kraft “did his best to shine the softest possible light on himself to make him appear as if he were selfless, that he’s taking the high road.” But Kornheiser said this wasn’t “even the major issue;” Brady's penalties are (“PTI,” ESPN, 5/19). Meanwhile, former NFLer Maurice Jones-Drew said Kraft "wants the NFL to continue to grow and not have a black eye, but also he has some skeletons in the closet." Jones-Drew: "If you’re going into court, everything’s going to come out. There might be some other things that the public might not want to hear” (“America’s Pregame,” FS1, 5/19).

CAN'T WASH EVERYTHING AWAY: In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch writes Kraft standing down "cemented the Patriots' legacy as cheaters." If what the Patriots have accomplished since coach Bill Belichick arrived "is a dynasty, then it now officially is a tainted one" (N.Y. POST, 5/20). ESPN's Le Batard said, "Bob Kraft evidently is okay with being branded an organizational cheater because he’s not fighting it anymore, and he has the means to do so” ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 5/19). In San Antonio, Roy Bragg writes Kraft's "latest mea culpa for the actions of his team comes across as an underinflated attempt to make the controversy blow away." Bragg: "It won't." The Patriots "have been cheaters for decades and, even if the team is forever repentant and seraphic, will always be known as cheaters" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/20).  

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