Following the NFL's decision to uphold quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for his alleged involvement in the Deflategate scandal, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media Wednesday.Kraft, who accepted the league's ruling of a $1 million fine and forfeiture of two draft picks in May, was far more defiant at the podium this time around. Mike Giardi of Comcast Sports Network New England passed along Kraft's full statement.As Jeff Howe of theBoston Heraldreported, Kraft opened with a strong statement in opposition of the league:According to Ralph Vacchiano of theNew York Daily News, the 74-year-old owner blasted the NFL's handling of Brady's case:Kraft apologized to the fans for not taking legal action against the league and explained his reason for not doing so, per Howe:Brady's staunchest supporter also got into specifics with regard to what he didn't like about the NFL's investigation. Chief among his gripes was the NFL's focus on Brady destroying his cellphone:In addition, he made it abundantly clear that he believes Brady was involved in absolutely no wrongdoing by bashing the initial Deflategate story reported by ESPN, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports:Kraft has long been known as a league-friendly owner, so one of his final statements, as provided by Jeff Darlington of NFL Network, may have been among the most shocking:While Kraft's harsh words surprised many, perhaps nobody was more taken aback than NFLPA Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs George Atallah:Following Kraft's explosive comments, Belichick offered very little with respect to Brady's situation. According to Howe, the three-time NFL Coach of the Year deferred to his owner:In typical Belichick fashion, he focused his attention on training camp instead, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:If Belichick has any concern about playing the first month of the 2015 season with inexperienced Jimmy Garoppolo under center rather than his four-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller, he certainly didn't show it.After Kraft's lambasting of the NFL, there wasn't much more for Belichick to say on behalf of the Patriots organization.He has a championship to defend, and it is clear he intends to do it with or without Brady.Unless Brady and the NFLPA manage to successfully file an injunction against the league, Brady will be on the sidelines until Week 6, regardless of how Kraft feels about the matter. Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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