AM: Did you have any knowledge of this practice before last week?
RK: No. Before last Sunday's game, I had no knowledge of this practice. I must tell you, it was really disappointing, especially after such a great game. What made it particularly disheartening, in our group of companies, we hold people to very high standards and this isn't what we're about. I've discussed that with Coach Belichick.
AM: Have you considered and/or are you considering any further action against Bill Belichick?
RK: Commissioner [Roger] Goodell levied the highest penalty on anyone in the history of the NFL between the first round draft choice and the financial penalty. He made his statement known. We accepted it. Coach Belichick apologized and from here on in, it will be handled as an internal, private Patriots matter.
AM: The commissioner said this did not affect the outcome of the game, so what did Bill Belichick tell you was the purpose in doing this in the first place?
RK: Whatever Coach Belichick wanted to accomplish to me now is really irrelevant. What's relevant is that Commissioner Goodell put out a very severe penalty and I must tell you I was quite upset and perturbed when I saw the penalty because I didn't think that the incident deserved this kind of punishment. Over the last couple of days I've been thinking about it and have cooled down, I realized he wasn't just sending a message to the New England Patriots, he was sending it to all 32 teams. In the end, Commissioner Goodell is the custodian of this game and the integrity of this game rest on his shoulders and he's sending a message to all teams and I support that and I think so do the fans who emotionally get charged by us.
AM: Bill Belichick said he misinterpreted the rule. The commissioner said this was a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid a longstanding rule. How can a coach as smart as Bill Belichick misinterpret that rule, which is so clear?
RK: I don't want to speak for Bill Belichick. He had a chance to make his presentation to the commissioner. He was very articulate. The commissioner was very courteous and listened and asked great questions and made his ruling and we're going to let the matter just stay at that level.
AM: Did you discuss with Bill at all whether there is any other thing here that could put this franchise in further jeopardy in terms of being assessed more penalties?
RK: I know of nothing else that could be in this category.
AM: Are you then confident that this is the end of this episode?
RK: Well, let me just say, I had no idea this was going on, but I can tell you this – it won't happen again in the future.
AM: One other thing, it's being reported tonight that Bill Belichick has signed a new deal, you've agreed to terms with his through the 2013 season. Is that true?
RK: Well, the coach and I have had a policy that we don't discuss his contract, but he's made great contributions to this franchise over the last seven years and myself, and all of our fans, truly appreciate his efforts.
