Robert Kraft Comments on NFL's Handling of Tom Brady's Deflategate Suspension

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has the full support of his team owner as he looks to any possible legal remedies for the reinstatement of his four-game Deflategate suspension.  

"The whole thing has been mishandled in my opinion," Patriots owner Robert Kraft told NFL.com's Judy Battista (via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport). "We hope he prevails."

On Monday, the NFL Players Association announced it filed an appeal on Brady's behalf with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, asking the court review his case:

"

This Union has always stood for protecting the rights of our members. Our filing of this appeal today on behalf of [Brady] and all NFL players is no different. He was not afforded fundamental fairness and due process as guaranteed by the collective bargaining agreement and case law. We also know that the NFL propped up a now completely de-bunked "independent" report with a made-up standard as the basis for his suspension. For 60 years we have affirmed the right to seek redress for our members and we will always hold the NFL accountable.

"

"The facts here are so drastic and so apparent that the court should rehear it," said Ted Olson, a former United States solicitor general who is on the NFLPA's legal counsel for the case, per ABC News' Brian McBride and Katie Conway.

In an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith revealed Brady offered to settle the dispute, but the two parties failed to reach an agreement:

If the Second Circuit declines to take on Brady's appeal, he can take his case to the Supreme Court.

Earlier in the spring, Kraft took a diplomatic approach to get NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to void the punishments levied against the Patriots. New England lost a first-round pick in the 2016 draft and a fourth-rounder in 2017, as well as receiving $1 million in fines.

Goodell responded that the discipline would remain in place, per CSNNE.com's Tom E. Curran: "I responded to him two weeks ago and told him that I had considered his views and I didn't think there was any new information in there that would cause us to alter the discipline. So there will be no change to the discipline."