At least part of the reason for the initial delay in a written response by
Patriots owner Robert Kraft to the heavy penalties levied against his team on Monday can be explained by how surprised the franchise was by the reaction of the NFL. They were bracing for discipline -- maybe something specific for
Tom Brady that might be lessened on appeal; or some sort of fine -- but the overall scope of the discipline was unlike anything they expected, sources said.
There was a fair amount of disbelief when the letters from the NFL arrived, and while investigator Ted Wells went about discrediting the notion that this was a sting or a set-up of some sort, I can assure you it hasn't altered the perception within that franchise in the highest reaches. Given the extent of the smackdown -- a four-game suspension for Brady and the loss of two picks (a first in 2016 and a fourth in 2017) as well as a $1 million fine -- Kraft
worded his statement carefully, and the latest text, if read closely, does not preclude his team taking some sort of action against the NFL, an appeal or otherwise.
It was never their intent to fight back, despite their firm belief this was more a sting operation and an attempted set-up than a cheating scandal on their part, but after reading the letters sent to them by the league on Monday, it can't be entirely ruled out now. I'd still label it a long-shot, though I'd expect Kraft to be plenty vocal behind closed doors and away from the microphones when the owners and league officials gather in San Francisco for an NFL meeting next week.
Prior to Monday, the Pats brass and staff didn't anticipate having to go to great lengths. They couldn't fathom a response this stern and this far reaching. They are fuming, I'm told, though they will be careful about how much of that response is revealed, and at some point all attention must turn to the 2015 season and their attempt to defend a Lombardi Trophy. But count me among those who believe this discipline will forever mark a turning point in the relationship between Kraft and Commissioner Roger Goodell, and this will only intensify Kraft's growing dissatisfaction with chief NFL legal counsel Jeff Pash.
The fact that the NFL gave them no warning and allowed that AFC Championship Game to be played with balls that may not have been regulation -- at a time when the NFL could have done any number of things to preclude it from happening -- won't be forgotten anytime soon in New England. And if this franchise and its leader, Bill Belichick, have shown us anything over this long run of theirs it's that they can clench on to any perceived grievance and gripe against them and never let it go.
The fact that they were so taken aback by the league decision speaks to the degree to which they object, and, well, let's just say that this is a franchise that might be inclined to hold a grudge or two.