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Robert Kraft on his Deflategate response: ‘I like to get in a battle I can win’

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft embraced debate Tuesday, appearing on ESPN’s opinion show First Take.

In a twopart interview, Kraft fielded questions from hosts Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman, and Molly Qerim on Tom Brady’s career, the Patriots’ recent Super Bowl win and offseason, and even some of the backlash he received from fans amid the team’s Deflategate punishment.

“You had people actually coming after you, because at one time they felt that you didn’t support Brady enough, which obviously ended up being ridiculous,” Smith prefaced his question, asking what it was like for Kraft last season, given that some fans thought the owner didn’t initially push back enough against the NFL’s penalties.