Posted on 06/29/2005 9:09:40 PM PDT by Destro
Patriots owner says Super Bowl ring was gift to Putin
The Associated Press
June 29. 2005 6:04PM
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the 2005 Super Bowl Ring he handed to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday was a gift.
"I showed the president my most recent Super Bowl ring," Kraft said in a statement released Wednesday. The Russian president "was clearly taken with its uniqueness," Kraft said.
"At that point, 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.
At the end of the three-hour meeting of American business executives and Putin at Konstantinovsky Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia, Kraft took off the ring, and handed it to Putin. Putin tried it on, put it in his pocket and left, according to Russian news reports.
The incident sparked Russian media speculation that Kraft hadn't meant to give away the ring, which is encrusted with 124 diamonds.
A senior Kremlin official, Dmitry Peskov, told The Associated Press Putin had given the ring to the Kremlin library where other foreign gifts are kept.
According to Patriots spokesman Stacey James, the ring has a value of "substantially more" than the previously reported $15,000.
Kraft's business interests include paper and packaging companies and venture capital investments. He handed out Super Bowl rings to players and coaches at his home two weeks ago.
The Patriots have won three of the last four Super Bowls.
Agreed.
When showing off a ring most people will hold out their hand, not take off the ring and hand it over. Maybe there was, and maybe there wasn't, a misunderstanding between two people from entirely different cultures and languages, but the "issue" has been tastefully resolved in any event. Like you said, with "class".
Regards,
LH
"Hey, you little commie bastard! Gimmie back my ring!" That's what he shoulda said! :>)
Good save!
(Kramer's voice) And just how do you propose to do that??......Toots.
Yeah, that might work.
Yeah, that might work.
Good to see an American giving a gift to a Russian leader. The people of each nation should be friends with each other.
Colts gonna do it this year. :D
Maybe, the Patriots owner took off his ring and handed it to Putin assuming him to be a person of average moral character, but Putin being the communist thug that he is put it in his pocket and walked away knowing that Kraft wouldn't get past his body guards to ask for it back? And now, the media has taken up where the body guards left off and encouraged Kraft to say it was a "gift." Serves him right for assuming a communist thug is as honorable as an average American.
I've said it once before and now I say it once again Football is a gay sport... a bunch of grown men jumping on eachother just to hold onto someone ball is gay/homosexual... now they are exchanging rings whats next? purse swaping?
OH NO NOT THE COLTS more like my Raiders LOL!
Just win Baby LOL!
COLTS HOMMIE! :D I hope the Raiders do ok. I'm wondering how your new player #18 is going to work out.
maybe you live in a fantasy world?
And he wanted to get out of Russia alive......
LOL.
Mr. Peach was bringing me up to speed on this little story and we had quite the laugh over it.
Hahaha LOL! He probably could!!!
I believe Vlad would do something like that LOLOLOL! resell Kraft Super Bowl ring on E-bay for hard cash LOL!
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