"I continue to believe and unequivocally support Tom Brady," Kraft said. "The league's handling of this entire process has been extremely frustrating and disconcerting."
The Patriots remain uncertain who will be the starting quarterback when they face Pittsburgh in September in the NFL season opener since Brady, a four-time Super Bowl winner, has been suspended for four games by the league but is taking the case to court in a union-backed appeal.
Brady, who can take part in pre-season training activities with the Patriots, is likely to be allowed to play for the Patriots while the legal process plays out, although at the risk of still facing a four-game ban later in the campaign.
One of the most high-profile athletes in American sport, Brady was found by Goodell to have been at least "generally aware" of a plot by Patriots staff to improperly reduce the air pressure of balls used by Brady during the American Conference playof final against Indianapolis earlier this year.
The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rejected Brady's appeal Tuesday, the quarterback released a statement on Facebook saying he was not required to turn over his cellphone under the NFL-union deal and did not destroy it to hide evidence, with Kraft and Belichick later standing by their man.
"The decision handed down by the league yesterday is unfathomable to me," Kraft said. "The league still has no hard evidence of anybody doing anything to tamper with the (air) level of footballs."
Kraft said he now regrets not going to court to fight league penalties against the team, saying he thought the move would make it easier for the NFL to avoid banning Brady.
"I wanted to return the focus to football," Kraft said. "I was willing to accept the harshest penalty in the history of the NFL because I believed it would help exonerate Tom.
"For reasons that I cannot comprehend, there are those in the league office who are more determined to prove that they were right rather than admit any culpability of their own. I have come to the conclusion that this was never about doing what was fair and just.
"I want to apologize to the fans of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. I was wrong to put my faith in the league. Personally, this is very sad and disappointing to me."
Kraft said the NFL wanted to distract from its lack of evidence by pointing to Brady destroying his cellphone.
"It intentionally implied nefarious behavior and minimized the acknowledgement that Tom provided the history of every number he texted during the relevant time frame," Kraft said. "And we had already provided the league with every cellphone of every non-(union) employee that they requested."
Belichick was asked time and again about Brady and would only respond with unspecific talk about the start of training camp.
"We're going to take it day to day, just like we always do," he said.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
