Daily Issue

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" ( <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/05/19/robert-kraft-deflategate/QMbGil3hhmzkbl9VGaFHsN/story.html" target="_blank">BOSTON GLOBE, 5/20</a> ). 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" ( <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-england-patriots-owner-team-will-accept-deflategate-penalties-1432056090" target="_blank">WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/20</a> ).