The New England Patriots want their 2016 first round pick in the NFL Draft back and have asked the league to reconsider.
While the jury is still out on whether New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will ever face a punishment for his role in the Deflategate scandal from the AFC Championship game during the playoffs for the 2014 season, we know that the team will be punished as the league took away their first round draft pick in this April’s NFL Draft.
Now, with the selection meeting just over a month away, the Patriots are asking the league if they can have it back. Owner Robert Kraft wrote a letter to NFL commissioner (and good friend before the scandal) Roger Goodell asking the commish to reconsider the punishment and allow the team to make a pick on the first day of this year’s draft:
Kraft said "we've done everything we can do" and said he could "empathize with the fans
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) March 21, 2016
Kraft reportedly wrote the letter over a month ago and would not tell reporters whether or not he had gotten a response from it. Goodell took away the team’s first round pick and a future fourth round pick (as well as fining them $1 million) as a result of what took place when the team hosted the Indianapolis Colts (a game New England would win en route to their fourth Super Bowl title since 2001).
If the Patriots were to get their pick back, they would be selecting 29th in the first round this year based off their loss in the AFC Championship Game against Denver.
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