Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that Tom Brady's appeal will not be affected by Robert Kraft's action of accepting the penalty imposed on the New England Patriots, NFL.com reports.

On Tuesday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the press that he will not appeal the league's ruling over the Deflategate incident, reported an earlier article from NFL.com. The Patriots team was found to have used deflated balls during its match against the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC Championship, as mentioned in a league-commissioned report.

Kraft was upset over the team's punishment, which includes $1M in fines and temporary cancellation of drafting rights. "Although I might disagree with what is decided, I do have respect for the commissioner and believe that he's doing what he perceives to be in the best interest of the full 32," Kraft told the press on Tuesday.

"I'm going to accept, reluctantly, what he has given to us and not continue this dialogue and rhetoric and we won't appeal," he added.

Tom Brady's Case

Tom Brady, who was investigated also by league attorney Ted Wells, was "at least generally aware" of the "inappropriate activities" by the two Patriots staffers that time, as indicated in the report. Thus, Brady faces a 4-day suspension without pay at the start of the new season. However, unlike the Patriots, the recently-awarded Super Bowl MVP officially filed an appeal through the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

Goodell's Mesage

On Wednesday, Goodell's statements in front of the media focused on the importance of following the NFL process in this kind of situation. In effect, he was clear that Kraft's decision of accepting the league's imposed punishment has no effect on Brady's case.

"This process has been established, it goes back to Commissioner Pete Rozelle and several labor agreements. There's a process in place we want to follow. The key for us is to be able to allow any information Tom Brady and his representatives have. Is there any new information he can bring clarity to, or something that wasn't in the Wells Report?... That's why we'll keep an open mind," Goodell told the reporters.

Later on, he expressed his admiration for Brady as a player but reiterated the need for rules to be followed.

"I have great admiration and respect for Tom Brady, but the rules have to be enforced on a uniform basis and they apply to everybody in the league. They apply to every club, every individual coach, every individual player and that is something that we put the game ahead of everything," the commissioner declared.