Edict from Goodell or is it really a distraction?
http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports...immediately-defends-rob-gronkowski-treatment/
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Patriots are putting an end to the two-week hype over the Tom Brady banner at Gillette Stadium.
Speaking on the team’s radio pregame show, team president Jonathan Kraft announced that as soon as the Patriots kickoff with the Cardinals 2,500 miles away, a construction crew will begin to take down the two-sided banner and the two No. 12 placards at the top of the north end light house.
“Tonight there’s a construction crew assembled at Gillette, and when the game starts, the banner and the number will come down,” Kraft said. “No one in the organization, and Tom would be leading the pack, would want anything to take away from the games once they have started. It’s just a way to let him know that everybody loves him and has his back and we don’t feel he was treated fairly.
“I want to put this in perspective. Tom Brady, he’s the longest tenured Patriot in history. This will be his 17th season with the club. Steve Grogan was the prior longest-tenured player. So 17 years out of our 57th season, he has played in 17 seasons. In those 17 seasons, the Patriots have won 43 percent of all games, regular season and postseason, all all games won in franchise history. We’re a team, an organization and a family.
“When somebody is your longest-tenured member, who has not only won those games but won four Super Bowls and you feel as an organization or as a family that somebody hasn’t been treated fairly, for us, we wanted to do something to symbolize that we are a family and he’s not going to be with us for the start of the season. And so, for that window of time, between the end of the preseason and today, we wanted to symbolize that he’s very much on everybody’s mind and we love him.
http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports...immediately-defends-rob-gronkowski-treatment/
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Patriots are putting an end to the two-week hype over the Tom Brady banner at Gillette Stadium.
Speaking on the team’s radio pregame show, team president Jonathan Kraft announced that as soon as the Patriots kickoff with the Cardinals 2,500 miles away, a construction crew will begin to take down the two-sided banner and the two No. 12 placards at the top of the north end light house.
“Tonight there’s a construction crew assembled at Gillette, and when the game starts, the banner and the number will come down,” Kraft said. “No one in the organization, and Tom would be leading the pack, would want anything to take away from the games once they have started. It’s just a way to let him know that everybody loves him and has his back and we don’t feel he was treated fairly.
“I want to put this in perspective. Tom Brady, he’s the longest tenured Patriot in history. This will be his 17th season with the club. Steve Grogan was the prior longest-tenured player. So 17 years out of our 57th season, he has played in 17 seasons. In those 17 seasons, the Patriots have won 43 percent of all games, regular season and postseason, all all games won in franchise history. We’re a team, an organization and a family.
“When somebody is your longest-tenured member, who has not only won those games but won four Super Bowls and you feel as an organization or as a family that somebody hasn’t been treated fairly, for us, we wanted to do something to symbolize that we are a family and he’s not going to be with us for the start of the season. And so, for that window of time, between the end of the preseason and today, we wanted to symbolize that he’s very much on everybody’s mind and we love him.
