The story of tension between the Patriots ownership, coach, and quarterback bubbled under the surface of the Super Bowl.
The result made it even harder to ignore.
But Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that he’s met with both coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady since the season ended, and downplayed any issues the team may or may not have.
“We have meetings all the time,” he said from a walkway outside the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando.
That may be true, but the ESPN story that pointed to the friction between him and his demanding coach and MVP quarterback is still hard to ignore, after their loss to the Eagles in the final game of the season. Kraft said that game, and the way it ended colors
“The residual of this loss was hard on everyone,” he said. “But I see that as a high-class problem. . . .
“The fact that we lost and we lost the way we did, I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Kraft also said that Belichick and Brady have met, though Belichick told reporters last night that he’s waiting to hear Brady’s thoughts on the future rather than trying to read tea leaves from his “Tom vs. Time” documentary.
But on most matters, Kraft deferred to Belichick’s judgment when it comes to personnel matters. He talked around cornerback Malcolm Butler not playing a snap of defense in the Super Bowl, and downplayed the pressure to find another quarterback of the future after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded.
“I have faith in Bill as a coach,” he said. “He’s done pretty well for us.”