Roger Goodell has an interesting relationship with the truth and reality, in the sense that he seems entirely incapable of acknowledging the veracity of any known fact that might undermine his authority or power.

However it’s generally hard to catch him dead to rights, which is why it’s somewhat surprising that he was bold enough to say this to Allon Sinai of the Jerusalem Post at the inauguration of the Kraft Family Sports Complex in Israel, when asked about his post-DeflateGate relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft:

“Robert is very important to me personally…My friendship with Robert was never strained. We both understand that we have jobs. “I know how important this is for him. My respect and admiration for him has never waned. We believe our best days are ahead.”

Of course, anyone who’s been paying even a modicum of attention to the NFL for the last two and a half years knows that Goodell’s statements aren’t just a misinterpretation of the relationship – they are deliberately and knowingly false.

The mere idea that DeflateGate didn’t affect their relationship is ludicrous, particularly because it has been directly and publicly contradicted by Kraft himself on multiple occasions. If the uncomfortable exchanges between the commissioner and Kraft, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick after their Super LI win weren’t enough evidence of the strain, these comments from the week prior to the game should be:

“I don’t know if it will ever be the same, but in order to do what is best for the Patriots franchise long term, I believe it is best to compartmentalize and move on,” Kraft told The New York Daily News at the time. “Like our quarterback, I am trying to remain positive and look to the future rather than dwell on the past. As a native New Englander, that’s easier said than done, but I am doing my best to put the matter behind me.”

Kraft also had this to say prior to the AFC Championship game, per the New York Times:

“Sometimes, the league really messes up, and I think they really messed this up badly,” he said. “But we’ve all agreed to subjugate our right to disrupt everything. I mean, we can, but we’re a partnership. There’s jealousy, there’s envy, there’s stupidity. Sometimes life is unfair, and you have to suck it up and move on and not use it as an excuse.”

I think we can all relate to the situation on at least some level. Kraft has to maintain a cordial and friendly relationship with the NFL commissioner to ensure that he continues to wield the level of power that he holds among the rest of the owners. He is a cunning businessman first and foremost – and anyone with his kind of wealth and success didn’t earn it without learning to occasionally put their end goal ahead of their pride.

Kraft is absolutely moving on from the entire debacle, especially now that his team has a fifth Super Bowl ring. But Goodell’s claims that there was never a strain on his friendship with Kraft is an outright lie.