New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft took the podium on Wednesday, prior to head coach Bill Belichick, and promptly deemed the league's decision to uphold Tom Brady's four-game Deflategate suspension "unfathomable." He also accused the league of leaking the intial - incorrect - report of deflated footballs to ESPN.
Other highlights from Kraft's statement...
On Brady: "I continue to believe and unequivocally support Tom Brady."
On the league: "The league's handling of this entire process has been extremely frustrating and disconcerting."
On the focus on Brady's destroyed cellphone: "This headline was designed to capture headlines across the country."
On the league's contention that Brady was not forthcoming during Ted Wells' investigation: "Tom provided the history of every number he texted during that relevant timeframe."
More on Brady: "Tom Brady is a person of great integrity and is a great ambassador for the game both on and off the field."
On the loss of draft picks and the $1 million fine also levied against the Patriots after Deflategate: "I was willing to accept the harshest punishment in the history of the NFL for an alleged ball violation if it helped exonerate Tom."
-Kraft also indicated that he had hopes that Brady's appeal would result in an overturning of his suspension and suggested that the league's decision to file preemptively in New York was something "only a lawyer would recommend."
More on the league: "I was wrong to put my faith in the league."
His overall feelings: "Personally, this is very sad and disappointing to me."
The notoriously tight-lipped Belichick made it clear that he wasn't going to discuss the Brady situation and stuck to his guns despite being peppered with questions by the media, refusing to even acknowledge that he'd talked to Brady in recent days.
