So much for the Robert Kraft-Roger Goodell showdown. This afternoon Kraft said he would “reluctantly” accept the penalty of a $1 million fine and two draft picks.
Why did Kraft stand down?
First of all the Patriots, as an organization, were stuck. Yes, the penalty is crazy. Over the top. But it was generated by a system that Kraft and the other 31 owners agreed to. He wasn't going the route of Al Davis; he wouldn't go rogue and sue the league. Why? Because he wasn’t going to win, and he would have alienated himself from the other teams.
Was there a deal that prompted Kraft's surrender? This is a popular theory that I'm not subscribing to. Yes, Kraft may have agreed to take his medicine in exchange for a reduction in Brady’s suspension. But what if the four games went to two? Is this enough to satisfy Brady, who has Jeffrey Kessler representing him? One would think that if this was the case, Brady would have agreed to take a reduced suspension prior to Robert going to the podium today.
I don’t see it. As one NFL agent told me: “Kessler does not settle. He plays to win.”
Brady has taken a number of pay cuts to benefit the Patriots. While money is not the most important thing to Tom Brady, we know winning and reputation is. There is no way Brady is caving like Kraft did today. I think Brady and Kessler are going for a clean swipe of the slate and zero games missed. To get that, they'll have to go to court. I don’t think even Robert Kraft could talk Tom out of this.
Greg Bedard of Sports Illustrated said on Arbella’s Early Edition that Kraft would eventually stand down for the good of the NFL. Bedard added that he thought Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Gerry Richardson of the Panthers would talk to Robert and urge him to take one for the league. This I can see happening.
New England Patriots
The other theory is, Goodell had more evidence or an actual smoking gun that would of hurt the Patriots more. This makes no sense. The Wells Report lacked in many areas so it would have made no sense for the NFL hold back evidence.
At the end of the day, as a great coach once said, “It is what it is.” The Patriots had no chance to win the appeal, fell on the sword and did what was best for the NFL. But don’t think Tom Brady will do the same.