Just when you think this story couldn’t get more out of hand…
Chris Mortensen appeared on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Thursday and the conversation naturally turned to Deflategate. The ESPN reporter, who recently deleted his erroneous, seven-month-old tweet that claimed the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game footballs were under-inflated by two pounds each, said both Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft called him to apologize “for the way this thing has gone down.”
According to a connected Boston sports talk radio station, though, this “apology” never actually occurred.
Just spoke with the Patriots and once again Chris Mortensen is wrong, the Krafts did not apologize. Details tomorrow morning at 6.
— Dennis and Callahan (@DandCShow) August 28, 2015
This is the same show that Mortensen recently canceled an interview with once he learned they planned on grilling him about his false report following the AFC Championship game.
Which, honestly, what else did he expect to talk about on a Boston sports station?
Ed Werder of ESPN felt the need to chime in on the controversy as well, and attempted to discredit the radio show host.
@DandCShow I don't see Mr Kraft denial. I see a radio talk show host claiming someone with Patriots said this. No Kraft quote
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) August 28, 2015
To which D&C replied:
You have never quoted an unnamed source, Ed? https://t.co/aHf3JI1cRE
— Dennis and Callahan (@DandCShow) August 28, 2015
And finally, just in case anybody had any remaining questions, D&C wanted to be sure that they repeat themselves for safe measure.
Both Robert and Jonathan Kraft denied offering an apology to Chris Mortensen. That is a fact, @Edwerderespn.
— Dennis and Callahan (@DandCShow) August 28, 2015
Obviously this is a lot of he said/she said, and it’s impossible to know who’s telling the truth in this situation.
The idea of the Krafts apologizing to Mort seems unlikely, though, given that Kraft has nothing to apologize for in the first place. Was he just saying “sorry your NFL sources deceived you, Chris”, and Mort simply misunderstood? Or was he really just flat out lying in this interview?
Hopefully the truth behind all of this comes to light and we eventually get a great documentary regarding the whole Deflategate controversy. That’d almost make this media firestorm worth it.
H/T TheBigLead