New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Backing Tom Brady In Deflategate

With the controversy of Deflategate dominating Tom Brady’s off-season, he found an ally in New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said in a press statement that he’s backing the Super Bowl winner all the way even as Brady has been suspended by the league for the first four games of the 2015 NFL regular season.

Kraft sent a strongly worded statement saying that Brady has the team's "unconditional support" and that the team's belief in their star quarterback "has not wavered.”

“Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence,” Kraft said in an official statement with regards to the Wells Report, which was the basis of Brady’s four-game suspension.

“We are humbled by the support the New England Patriots have received from our fans throughout the world. We recognize our fans’ concerns regarding the NFL’s penalties and share in their disappointment in how this one-sided investigation was handled, as well as the dismissal of the scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report.”

Aside from the suspension of their starting quarterback for the first four games of the season, the Patriots franchise was also levied a $1 million fine, plus the NFL took multiple future picks away from the team.

The league decision is expected to affect NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s relationship with Kraft, who is considered one of the more powerful owners in the league.

The Wells Report implicated Brady as likely to have been aware of the deflated footballs used in January's AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.

Email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au to contact author.