Jan. 27--PHOENIX -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Tuesday he went back and forth over what to do about addressing the controversy regarding his team's use of improperly inflated footballs.
On the team's charter flight from Boston on Monday, Kraft spoke to his son Jonathan about the matter as the NFL investigation continues into how 11 of the 12 balls the team used in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts were underinflated.
Kraft, considered a close ally of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's, was direct in supporting Patriots coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and his team Monday night after arriving at their hotel in Chandler, Ariz. Kraft cautioned the league it had better have solid evidence of wrongdoing or be prepared to issue an apology to his franchise.
"I was sitting next to Jonathan just chatting about it and I said, 'You know, I just think I should let them know how I feel,'" Kraft said. "My instincts said to me that was the right thing to do. We have special people in Tom and Bill and what we have accomplished, I am pretty proud of that.
"I was thinking about it coming into this game: I have hired two coaches (Belichick and Pete Carroll, now the Seahawks' coach) and they are going to be facing each other in this game. I am pretty proud of that. I have great respect for both of them and look forward to a great game on Sunday and now it is time to talk about football."
Try as he might, Kraft could not shift the conversation completely away from the deflated footballs story that continued to be a hot topic on Tuesday at Super Bowl media day at US Airways Center.
"I think (Belichick and Brady) were appreciative but I don't think it was a surprise," Kraft said. "This business is a very complicated, hard business that can be very cruel at times and I think it is like family, a marriage or with your girlfriend or something.
"It is important to always be together on the same page even when you might have minor disagreements. I can tell you we at the top of the Patriots, my family and our key people are all one and that was the message I tried to express yesterday.
"I tried to put the perspective on the story and what I think of it yesterday. I am just going to leave it at that. It will be fun on Sunday."
bmbiggs@tribpub.com
Twitter @BradBiggs
