NFL owners not named Robert Kraft are lining up to defend commissioner Roger Goodell.
The New England Patriots owner came out firing Wednesday, slamming Goodell for upholding Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension. The rest of the league’s owners seem to be more than willing to support the commish, however. Jerry Jones defended him earlier in the week, and now New York Giants owner John Mara is giving Goodell a stamp of approval.
“Listen, the commissioner had a very difficult job to do here, but at the end of the day, I think he made a decision on the evidence and the facts that were before him without regard for the profile of the player or his personal relationship with the owner,” Mara said, according to the New York Daily News. “You know what? That’s what he’s paid to do. He did his job. We could argue about whether it was fair or unfair, but he had to make a very tough decision under very difficult circumstances and he did it.
Mara didn’t stop there in bending over backward to pat the commissioner on the back.
“I’ve been around (Goodell) enough to know that his intention is always to do the right thing,” Mara added, per the New York Daily News. “I don’t always agree with the decisions he makes, but I know that he tries to do the right thing. And I know that this was an unpleasant situation for him here, to be dealing with the best player in the league and dealing with an owner who has been as good as any owner in the league and somebody he has a close personal relationship with. He had to make a tough decision here.”
Of course, Mara probably would be singing a different tune if his team was in the middle of this whole ordeal. He actually sees where Kraft is coming from, too — for now.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Robert Kraft and I understand he’s very emotional about this and feels very strongly about it,” Mara said. “He’s trying to protect his player and I get that.”
It will be interesting to see how the rhetoric changes if and when the lawsuit plays out.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
