Boston Magazine: Why is Robert Kraft so desperate for our attention?

I didn't read it. The corrupt Bend over Bob and go to hell with his 31 corrupt buddies.

I enjoyed reading the article. I have a lot more respect for Kraft as a person. Unfortunately, the positive attributes about caring about others that he exhibits in his charities is exactly the wrong attitude needed towards the back stabbing fellow owners and the POS commissioner. I hope that Jonathan does not have the same lack of recognition.

Observer said:

That article is an utter waste of time, written by an author desperate for attention.

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Wheelman said:

I didn't read it. The corrupt Bend over Bob and go to hell with his 31 corrupt buddies.

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YOUGOTMOSSED said:

Disagree. It shows the author doesn't know what he's talking about, is sloppy with details, or has an agenda.

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reneluar said:

i wont read the article because isnt the best for the other 31 teams
- Robert Kraft

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ReverendMaynard said:

I don't care what he says or does, so long as he's in bed with Goodell, he's dead to me. I hope they (meaning all 32, plus the Ommisioner and all the VPs) all end up in a Trading Places ending together.

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Chiuba E. Obele said:

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Are you the author?

Observer said:

Are you the author?

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No, just disturbed by the level of intolerance and anger. Not saying it has no flaws, but it's an interesting perspective that I hoped people would be open to reading.

Ambitious article. I assume that the raw reporting is basically good.

The author doesn't do a great job of distinguishing between primary and secondary reporting. E.g., I assume the love-at-first-sight-with-Myra story is simply taken from some other press source. But you couldn't tell that from reading this article.

The analysis is of course suspect. But since the article says that Kraft is a complex and somewhat contradictory man, I don't find it horrible.

I do find aspects surprising.

• The article stresses that he's a hard-ass negotiator, which is sort of the opposite of the impression he's created since the players' strike. I imagine that the truth is somewhere inbetween.
• His capitulation to Goodell was glossed over.
• I think the bit with Putin and the ring is a big deal, because it got him atop the international headlines for a couple of days, in a favorable light. That wasn't mentioned at all.

The past couple of years, he’s been making calls that begin like so: “This is Robert Kraft. Do you know who I am?”

Andrew Schiff answered the phone to that question last year at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. He said to Robert Kraft, “I know who you are. But I have no idea why you would be calling me.”

“I have good news for you,” Kraft said. He told Schiff that he was giving his nonprofit, which teaches culinary skills to unemployed adults, $100,000.

Kraft also told Schiff not to tell anyone about the call. And there was more: In order for Schiff to get the money, he’d have to raise another $100,000 from others.

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Don't tell anyone, 'cause we're gonna use it in a magazine article.

Oh, fer crissakes, read it, or don't give your opinion. I think it was a very good article, but it really stretched trying to stickto a theme, that was contradicted by it's own reporting.

Fencer said:

• His capitulation to Goodell was glossed over.

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Actually, which is more the truth, it states that his demanding an apology, way back in the beginning of deflategate, broke the code of the NFL which is to accept any ruling by the commissioner.

Somehow, at least on this board, this has mutated to, "telling the commissioner to fark off" as the default position for all unhappy owners.

RayClay said:

Actually, which is more the truth, it states that his demanding an apology, way back in the beginning of deflategate, broke the code of the NFL which is to accept any ruling by the commissioner.

Somehow, at least on this board, this has mutated to, "telling the commissioner to fark off" as the default position for all unhappy owners.

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Are you claiming that, because he did something so daring in January, he just had to grovel and publicly capitulate in May to limit the resulting damage? If that's your point, I disagree. If your point is something else, I'm not understanding you.

Fencer said:

His capitulation to Goodell was glossed over.

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It was exactly one sentence, and wasn't even explicitly stated. "The owners were wary of the Patriot Way". That's like, the closest the thing got to it.

Fencer said:

Are you claiming that, because he did something so daring in January, he just had to grovel and publicly capitulate in May to limit the resulting damage? If that's your point, I disagree. If your point is something else, I'm not understanding you.

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Read every statement he made from then on. Rather than groveling, other owners consider him to be disrespectful to the office.

I understand, from our point of view, it's all horsesnit. but trry to be objective, read all his statement and read what the other owners have said.

By the time he realized he was screwed, his balls were already in the vice.

Of course, if it makes anyone feel better, you can ignore everyone else and just assume it was our glorious cause with a fair and impartial goodell, who would surely see our side of things.

TommyD4207 said:

It was exactly one sentence, and wasn't even explicitly stated. "The owners were wary of the Patriot Way". That's like, the closest the thing got to it.

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"If the league didn’t have hard evidence that the Patriots had cheated, he proclaimed, it would owe the team an apology.

In demanding contrition, Kraft knowingly violated the code: In pro football, everyone guards the golden goose. The NFL does not apologize."

RayClay said:

Read every statement he made from then on. Rather than groveling, other owners consider him to be disrespectful to the office.

I understand, from our point of view, it's all horsesnit. but trry to be objective, read all his statement and read what the other owners have said.

By the time he realized he was screwed, his balls were already in the vice.

Of course, if it makes anyone feel better, you can ignore everyone else and just assume it was our glorious cause with a fair and impartial goodell, who would surely see our side of things.

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I don't necessarily disagree.

But what I bolded is the biggest problem I have with him. Does he lack that much awareness that he had no idea? If that's true, then I'd have to worry about how much of the Patriots perception nationwide was his lack of awareness to begin with.

ReverendMaynard said:

I don't care what he says or does, so long as he's in bed with Goodell, he's dead to me. I hope they (meaning all 32, plus the Ommisioner and all the VPs) all end up in a Trading Places ending together.

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Huh? Who wouldn't want to be here?

The article was interesting. I would hesitate to judge his character in any way based on the 'psychoanalysis' embedded within. However, you can't argue three things: his generosity, his faith, and his love of the New England Patriots.

Kraft made a fool of himself that one time. He's a powerful man and wasn't used to some corporate errand boy like Goodell stabbing him in the back. I really feel he was shocked to be in that position.

He expected a freaking apology, he was caught off guard.

Kraft is a shrewd businessman, he has a kind heart for those less fortunate and he is deeply religious. He is a deal maker. He is a people person. He does not do well on his own. He likes to be loved and needed which somehow the reporter turns into a negative. Every mother and father must suffer from the same defect as Kraft.

By going back on his word and caving to Goodell and the Owners, I lost respect for Kraft but I still think he is a great businessman and person. Brady did what Kraft should have, Brady fought an injustice and won. From Kraft, I need to see action rather then words. In saying that, Kraft has been a really really good owner. We could do far worse and have in the past.

As for the article, it's just tabloid journalism. It's an opinion piece with anon sources. Some of it was interesting like the Jerusalem trip and what the players did and had to say. So, it wasn't a complete waste of time reading it.

The article postulated Kraft's psychology and then proceeded to produce anecdotes accompanied by dubious interpretations that fit the author's theory. It is a gossip piece masquerading as deep analysis, therefore I find it dishonest.

Started to read it, but when I got to this realized it just another crap piece.. as obviously the writer is misinformed:

But there’s a fine line in pro sports when it comes to what exactly whatever encompasses. When Belichick was caught spying on other teams’ signals to their players from the sidelines in 2007, which is cheating, Kraft asked him, “How much did this help us on a scale of one to 100?”

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Then he descended into the Rabbit Hole of the media created, "Patriot Way"....