The New England Patriots may have taken a loss in SuperBowl LII. Fortunately, they managed to recover after owner Robert Kraft convinced offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to stay with the team rather than become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
While on the surface it appears to be a case of an owner hoping to keep his championship-caliber team intact, there seems to be more to the story. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Kraft did it at least partially to spite the Colts for their part in the “Deflategate” scandal a few years back:
Text from one league source: “That’s Kraft putting it to the Colts again. He will forever try and (expletive) that place ever since deflate gate.”
It goes without saying that the Patriots have been the most dominant franchise in the league over the past two decades. However, their success has been littered with controversy along the way. The most recent example being Deflategate.
New England just finished obliterating Indianapolis 45-7 in the 2014-15 AFC Championship Game when it was revealed that the Patriots had deliberately under-inflated balls at the request of quarterback Tom Brady. The franchise was heavily-penalized for the controversy and wound up being fined $1 million and two draft picks. Meanwhile, Brady had to serve a four-game suspension in 2016.
The Colts made the initial complaint to the league office.
While Kraft's reported actions may have been a bit petty, members of the Patriots organization have been known to hold grudges. The Cleveland Browns inquired about possibly trading for former quarterback Jimmy Garappolo during the 2017 season. Despite reportedly having the best offer, Belichick had no intention of providing a franchise quarterback to the organization that fired him over 20 years ago.
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