The NFL lockout is finally over and fans can now get excited about football again. The players and owners reached a deal over the weekend and its back to business for the NFL.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being praised as a hero and one of the key owners who contributed to the end of the lockout.
ESPN reports:
Few owners in the history of professional sports have a moment like the one the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft experienced Monday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
At a time of deep personal pain, as he was grieving the death of his wife Myra, who passed away on Wednesday, Kraft was singled out as one of the main reasons the 2011 football season was saved. It was a powerful moment that couldn’t be scripted.
To hear it was one thing. But this was one you had to see to really feel the impact.
It was the way 295-pound offensive lineman Jeff Saturday, a leader among the players’ executive committee, brought his right arm around Kraft and pulled him close, Kraft’s head nestling into Saturday’s chest to receive the embrace with feeling.
If anyone needed a snapshot to know the NFL’s lockout was coming to an end, this was it. Players and owners united in a moment that had a strong New England twist.
“I’d like, on behalf of both sides, to apologize to the fans,” Kraft said. “For the last five, six months we’ve been talking about the business of football—and not what goes on, on the field, and building the teams in each market,” Kraft said. “But the end result is we’ve been able to have an agreement that I think is going to allow this sport to flourish over the next decade.”
Jeff Saturday, who plays for AFC rival Indianapolis said:
“A special thanks to Myra Kraft, who even in her weakest moment allowed Mr. Kraft to come and fight this out.”
“Without him, this deal does not get done. … He’s a man who helped us save football.”
WATCH VIDEO: NFL Announces Lockout Over
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