Pats’ Robert Kraft wants return of picks lost in Deflategate
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has asked the NFL to reinstate the draft picks the team lost in the deflated-footballs investigation stemming from the 2014 AFC title game.
Kraft said Monday at the owners’ meetings that he sent a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell more than a month ago seeking a return of the two picks — a first-rounder this year and a fourth-rounder in 2017.
Kraft didn’t sound optimistic that the picks would be returned, or that quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension would be rescinded should an appeals court rule in favor of the league in the saga dubbed “Deflategate.”
Fitzpatrick got the starting job in training camp when Geno Smith’s jaw was broken by a teammate’s punch, and he performed so well that he nearly got New York back into the playoffs.
The death of Ravens cornerback Tray Walker looms over this week’s owners’ meetings.
The accident happened only about 45 minutes from where team owners, executives, coaches and other league officials are gathering for the next couple of days at the Boca Raton Resort.