Posts tagged RobertKraft at FanHouse

This is the front page of today's Boston Herald, and when a newspaper issues a front-page apology, you know it seriously screwed up.

And when newspapers seriously screw up, sometimes they get sued. But while there's a lot of speculation that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will sue the Herald over its February 2 story claiming the team videotaped the St. Louis Rams' last practice before the 2002 Super Bowl, such a lawsuit would be a bad idea. David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch explains:

we'd have to guess that the Herald is begging The Krafts for such action. Nothing sells papers or draws web traffic like a good lawyers-on-lawyers scrum involving a media entity and a professional sports franchise. Even if it would be costly for Pat Purcell to fend off the Krafts, the resulting documents from discovery and the potential depth into which Spygate could be dissected should be more than enough for the Patriots to talk tough now and slink away quietly, shortly.

That's exactly right. It's extremely difficult for public figures like Kraft to win libel lawsuits against newspapers, and even if they do win, they often find that so many embarrassing details come out over the course of the lawsuit that they regret filing it in the first place. The Patriots should accept the Herald's apology and move on.

Bob Ryan is Boston's most prominent sports journalist, and on ESPN's The Sports Reporters today, he had some surprisingly harsh words about the New England Patriots, the Patriotgate controversy, coach Bill Belichick and even owner Robert Kraft, who for the most part has escaped criticism in this story:

Said Ryan of Belichick, "When this thing broke in September, the day of the Jets game, from that moment on, he has never fessed up, he has stonewalled it, we all know what his punishment was, but he has never addressed it, he has tried to pretend that it never happened, and that 'I just misunderstood the rules.' His day of reckoning, I think, is going to come, and I think that this whole thing that New England has built in seven years is in jeopardy.

For a prominent Boston writer to call the Patriots dynasty "in jeopardy" is rough, but Ryan didn't stop there. He also had something to say about the Patriots' owner:

"The person who has to take the initiative here is the owner, Bob Kraft. I cannot believe that Bob Kraft was pleased, during the course of this season, with the image of his team," Ryan said. "They are the most vilified team in sports, and I can't believe he likes this. He has allowed this coach to do it his way to this point and I don't see how he can allow him to do it his way any longer."
Sorry, No Photos

Just after last night's 17-14 Giants win, J.J. Cooper reported that Amazon.com was still selling a book celebrating the undefeated New England Patriots. A quick check sees that it's still for sale this morning and still ranked 15th on the list of bestsellers which is a pretty good sign that Patriot fans didn't do a good job of adhering to the policy of not counting your chickens before they hatch.

They certainly didn't get any leadership from their team in that respect. Tom Brady mocked the very notion that the Giants defense had a chance. The Patriots applied for a trademark on the phrase "19-0" so that they could maximize profits on a win that would never come. Even their owner Robert Kraft, a savvy businessman who knows that no deal is done until the money has changed hands, was crowing during a golf tournament on Saturday.

Pats owner Bob Kraft, in the CBS booth with Jim Nantz during the PGA's FBR/Phoenix Open, Saturday, said jokingly, "We promised Fox we'd keep it close for a half."

Heck, even Bill Belichick toyed with some god or another by switching from the gray hoodie to the Tiger Woods-ish Sunday red. One of the most impressive things about New England's regular season run was the way they took care of each game before moving onto the next one. The Giants deserve all the credit in the world for their win. If you're a karmic sort, though, you can't help but think the Patriots did their fair share to help them along.

We're less than two hours away from kickoff and Spygate: the Sequel is still the story. In addition to questions about more cheating allegations leveled against the Patriots, and what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell knew and when he knew it, some folks, especially those living in the greater Foxboro area, have a question of their own: why are these rumors surfacing now, just days before the Patriots try to cap a perfect season?

Hashmarks' Matt Mosley is on the case:

I just talked to one of my Patriots sources who said several members of the organization were furious with the timing of the report in the Boston Herald indicating a club representative filmed the Rams' final walkthrough before the 2001 Super Bowl.

Mosley also points out that team owner Robert Kraft, who advocated loudly for Andre Tippett's Hall of Fame candidacy, was a no-show at yesterday's HOF press conference. Apparently, Kraft wanted to avoid answering questions about the team filming the Rams prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.

Can't say I blame him.

The bigger issue, though, is what Kraft will do if Bill Belichick is eventually found to have withheld evidence from the league. When the story first broke in September, Kraft said "This isn't what we're about ... I can tell you this: It won't happen again in the future."

We'll see.

Who the hell knows the status of Tom Brady's mild ankle sprain, but it's good to see he took time out of his busy schedule of spending time in New York with his supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, to address the Patriots supports who braved snowy conditions to see the team off to Arizona.



Man, that Brady sure does paint a handsome picture, even in inclement weather. And the conviction! I don't think he could sound less persuasive if he were using Bill Belichick's robot voice: "This is Foxboro faithful right here ... We can just go ahead and play the game today ... thank you guys for coming out ... we're going down there for one reason, and one reason to win and bring a title back to Foxboro. Go Patriots."

And then team owner Robert Kraft rolled a wheelchair-bound* Brady off the stage. Fortunately, there were no Gary Bauer moments on the way to the limo. And don't worry, Brady's playing on Sunday, even if he currently can't be bothered to walk*.

* scenario fabricated by author

So here's what we know: Bill Parcells is very good at working on his terms. (In his NFL travels, he has yet to be fired; I think that says something.) He's also not afraid to burn bridges, just ask Robert Kraft and now Arthur Blank.

Knowing that, it's no real surprise that the former Cowboys coach might be interested in bringing some of his former assistants to Miami, where he was named the vice president of of football operations earlier this week.

It could happen, and it's custom and it's a common thing," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on his Friday morning radio show. "He's familiar with some of our people ... I think, there's certain people within the organization, despite of what you heard, [who] did enjoy working with Bill."

Jones also noted that Parcells doesn't need permission from the Cowboys to talk to "some personnel under contract." Whether it happens, well, who knows, but it certainly wouldn't be shocking.

The only question is who would Parcells go after? Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was hired after Parcells resigned, so he's safe, as is defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. Maurice Carthon is currently the Cardinals' running back coach (he landed that gig after running the Browns' offense into the ground); he was Parcells' offensive coordinator during the Cowboys' 2003 season. I'm guessing he's VERY available, although I'm not sure why he'd be deserving.

The Sporting News has named its 2007 Sportsman of the Year and it's ... Tom Brady! Virtual high-fives all around. And for all you Patriots haters out there, the Sporting News' Mike Nahrstedt lays it out in black and white:

OK, maybe the Patriots aren't your favorite team. Maybe you don't like all those rings. Maybe those lopsided scores grate on your nerves. Maybe Spygate soured you. Whatever. Don't hold that against Brady.

Team owner Robert Kraft also weighed in: "He is a nicer and better human being than people see or imagine." Kraft then added, "Now Belichick, I don't trust that guy any further than I can throw him. You gotta keep an eye on him ... especially at the holiday party."** If that doesn't make you feel better about Brady beating your favorite team by 50 points, then you obviously hate professional football and everything running up the score stands for.

Other finalist for the 2007 award included the Packers' Brett Favre (already got his own award), the Rockies' Matt Holliday and for shiggles, former University of Florida forward Joakim Noah.

So what's next for Brady? Well, there's a good chance the Patriots win the Super Bowl -- that would be his fourth in eight seasons -- and assuming the current roster stays intact for the next couple of years, there's a chance New England adds a few more rings to the collection. And five years after Brady retires, he'll likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Particularly if Peter King has anything to say about it.

** Quote is a complete fabrication

I would say that Bill Belichick should get fined half a million bucks every week, but that would imply the that New England Patriots usually don't dominate football games. And tonight, it was more of the same against the San Diego Chargers.

New England scored seven plays into the festivities on seven consecutive passes, were up 24-zip at the half, and cruised to a 38-14 victory in a decidedly boring affair (well, boring for those people looking for a close game).

Not surprisingly, much of the talk leading up to kickoff was about PatriotGate -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and team owner Robert Kraft both gave interviews with NBC Sports -- but the talk quickly turned to New England's precision offense defense ... well, every phase of the game.

The defense sacked Philip Rivers three times and intercepted him twice, including a second-quarter Adalius Thomas 65-yard pick-for-six. They also held LaDainian Tomlinson to 43 yards on 18 rushes.

On offense, Tom Brady hooked up with six different receivers, and continues to make Randy Moss look like he's in Minnesota and it's 1999. The former Vikings first-round pick hauled in eight passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. That means in two weeks of work, Moss has 17 catches for 288 yards and three scores. For some perspective, last season, Mr. Randy didn't surpass 288 receiving yards until Week 4, and didn't snag his third touchdown until Week 6.

Funny how playing for a winner motivates you. Now explain to me again why the Belichick felt he had to cheat.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft was interviewed by Al Michaels at halftime of tonight's Patriots-Chargers game. Kraft made it very clear that he had no idea coach Bill Belichick was taping opposing coaches in violation of league rules, and he does not approve.

"This isn't what we're about," Kraft said. "I can tell you this: It won't happen again in the future."

Kraft referred to the penalty -- the loss of a first-round draft pick and a $500,000 fine for Belichick -- as the harshest in the history of the NFL, and he said that he initially thought NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had come down too hard on the Patriots and their coach.

"I was quite upset and perturbed when I saw the penalty because I didn't think the incident deserved this kind of punishment," Kraft said. But he added that Goodell "wasn't just sending a message to the New England Patriots, he was sending it to all 32 teams. ... I support that."

Although he wouldn't comment on the report that he recently extended Belichick's contract, Kraft also said he continues to support Belichick and appreciates what he's done for the franchise.

On Friday I wondered if there was any chance Bill Belichick might be out in New England at the end of the year. The Washington Post's Mark Maske mentioned that Belichick's top-secret contract was set to expire at season's end, and owner Robert Kraft might not be so eager to renew it in light of the recent foolishness.

One problem with that thinking: Unabomber signed a long-term extension ... before Manboobs Mangenius ratted him out last Sunday.

The pact will keep Belichick on New England's sideline through at least the 2013 season, according to league sources and sources close to the coach. The deal was agreed to before the recent "spying" scandal in which the Patriots were punished by the NFL.

Still, the contract's sure to have some kind of moral clause -- most professional contracts do -- and if Kraft wanted to part ways with Belichick he certainly could've done it. Apparently, winning -- no matter the means -- is more important. Or at least that's how it appears.

Oh, and that silly $500,000 fine leveled by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell? Yeah, it's even more laughable given Belichick's new deal. Good thing the league suspended Wade Wilson five games, though. Can't have that guy running trying to battle impotence. Everybody knows that's a much bigger scourge on society than cheating. Jeebus.

Hat tip: PFT