The New England Patriots have won six Super Bowls since Robert Kraft became team owner. However, he only has five of the Patriots Super Bowl rings in his drawer. The ring the team won in Super Bowl 39 is currently with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And unfortunately for Kraft, that's been the case for the last 19 years.
How did Vladimir Putin acquire Robert Kraft's Super Bowl 39 ring?
In the aftermath of the Patriots' thrilling Super Bowl victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kraft was invited to a prestigious meeting a few days after the Patriots received their $25,000 Super Bowl rings, their third in four years. Along with other CEOs, Kraft went to Russia to meet President Putin to foster better economic relations between the United States and Russia.
Once the meeting concluded, Sandy Weill, who was the president of Citi group at the time, requested Kraft to show Putin his ring. When Kraft handed the ring to President Putin for him to try on his finger, the President was captivated by its beauty and craftsmanship.
“I can kill someone with this ring,” Putin told Kraft. In a crazy twist of events, instead of returning the ring to Kraft, President Putin placed it inside his pocket.
Why couldn't the Patriots owner get his ring back?
Robert Kraft has tried his best to get Vladimir Putin to return the ring. He even made a public plea during Tom Brady's roast on Netflix urging the president to give it back. But while the situation was hot, Kraft got a phone call from The White House. It was President George W. Bush, who spoke to Kraft on the phone and asked him to issue a statement saying that the ring was a gift instead of claiming that President Putin never gave it back.
The purpose of releasing a statement was straightforward: To prevent any fallout that could lead Russia to trigger a third World War. Like a true Patriot, Kraft obliged and issued a statement that the ring was indeed a gift to the president.
“I decided to give him the ring as a symbol of the respect and admiration that I have for the Russian people and the leadership of President Putin,” Kraft said in a statement.
As fans look back on the Patriots' historic run in the early 2000s, the story of Kraft's stolen Super Bowl ring will forever be a unique chapter in their dynasty, blending the worlds of athletic achievement and international diplomacy.
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