NFL in new statement on Robert Kraft allegations: “We will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts.”
SUN VALLEY, ID – JULY 10: Patriots owner Robert Kraft arrives at the Sun Valley Resort for the 2018 Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
From the NFL Newswire at 985TheSportsHub.com
The NFL has released a new statement on recent allegations against Patriots owner Robert Kraft. It cites the league’s Personal Conduct Policy in relation to the case, which includes charges of soliciting another for prostitution at a spa in Jupiter, Fla.
Here is the NFL’s statement in full:
“Our Personal Conduct Policy applies equally to everyone in the NFL. We will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the Policy. We are seeking a full understanding of the facts, while ensuring that we do not interfere with an ongoing law enforcement enforcement investigation. We will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts.”
All that is publicly known about Kraft as of Monday is that he’s being charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution that allegedly took place in a pair of visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter. Local police say there is video evidence of Kraft’s alleged actions, and that the victims are part of a larger sex trafficking operation spanning the globe that was subject to an eight-month-long investigation.
In Florida, solicitation to commit prostitution is considered a second degree misdemeanor. It carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both. But if found guilty, Kraft may face an even larger penalty from the NFL via the personal conduct policy.
In 2014, the league fined Colts owner Jim Irsay $500,000 and suspended him for six games after he plead guilty to one count of operating a vehicle under the influence. He ultimately avoided felony drug possession charges related to unprescribed pills that police found in his possession. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time that the Colts organization did not get punished because of the lack of a competitive component to the case.
Kraft’s alleged transgressions would be entirely separate from the football operation in New England. So the precedent set by Irsay indicates that only Kraft would be punished if the league finds it appropriate to do so.
Click here for all Patriots/NFL updates from 985TheSportsHub.com.
