The 3 faces of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft

Just weeks after his organization won its sixth Super Bowl championship, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is involved in an embarrassing scandal.

Scandal is nothing new for the New England Patriots.  One of the winningest and most successful sports franchises over the last two decades have been involved in over sensationalized drama that has become part of the definition of their dynasty.

Fair or unfair, both “Spygate” and “Deflategate” involved two of the team’s main faces, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.  Through both those scandals, Patriots owner Robert Kraft stood by his head coach and quarterback while accepting punishment from the NFL.

Now, it’s Mr. Kraft who is involved in a scandal.  This time, it does not involve gaining a competitive edge on a football field (which time has proved didn’t really matter), it involves Kraft’s alleged personal choices.  It involves an issue that is bigger than sports or Robert Kraft himself.  We will not focus on that here.

On Friday, New England Patriots fans as well as sports fans in general were shocked when a report surfaced that Robert Kraft was charged with two separate counts of soliciting prostitution as part of a six-month investigation involving human traffickers who lured women to work in local spas in the Jupiter, Florida area.

Please note, Kraft is being charged with “secondary misdemeanors” that could lead to fines or up to 60 days in jail.  As of now, he has not been linked in the actual human trafficking investigation.

As a spokesman for Robert Kraft has “categorically” denied any illegal activity, all Patriots fans and NFL fans in general can do is wait to see how it all plays out.

There are penalties Kraft could face from the league, but those should be more on a personal level that should not affect the team as in them losing draft picks.

Why is this big?

It’s big because of the public figure Robert Kraft has become since purchasing the New England Patriots.  Because of the man he has become known to be, this scandal (guilty or innocent) strikes embarrassment on his image. But, should not take away what he has done for the fans in New England and how he has impacted the NFL as a business man and socially.

The fan

What makes Robert Kraft such an effective owner for the New England Patriots is how big a fan he is of the team.

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So, knowing how fans felt about the team, Kraft finally purchased the team in 1994.  As a fan himself, he wanted to establish both credibility and stability for a franchise that was the laughing stock of the league for years prior.

Not only has the team found success under Kraft’s ownership, the team went from playing in Foxboro Stadium to the much more high-tech Gillette Stadium.  The founder of the Kraft Group, the billionaire owner also owns MLS’s New England Revolution.

His commitment and building of one of sport’s most successful franchises really shows in his fandom of the team.  There is not a big game that goes by that Robert Kraft isn’t seen cheering his team on.  Sure, every owner does that, but knowing Kraft’s history as a fan, it really shows.  Especially during his Lombardi Trophy acceptance speeches.

Typically, Robert Kraft shouts out and recognizes all New England Patriots fans with the slogan “We are all Patriots.”

With what he has done for this team, players, coaches and the community as a whole, the allegations against him is tough locally.  A man who has garnered so much respect over the years and especially since saving the team in 1994 is now a man under much scrutiny.

A social philanthropist

From President Donald Trump to Meek Mill and Jay-Z, there isn’t public figure Robert Kraft doesn’t seem to have a connection with or get along with.

At 77 years old, what stands out about Mr. Kraft is his concern about social issues and his commitment to progress.  These allegations do taint that a bit but can’t take away from his overall involvement in social justice issues.

In his latest venture, he has teamed with Jay-Z and Meek Mill in starting a criminal justice reform organization.  The REFORM Alliance was inspired and motivated by Kraft’s involvement in getting Meek Mill released from prison after he serving a probation violation.

"“After meeting him in jail, I felt affection for him,” Kraft said, via USA Today.  “We had developed a nice relationship.  And I’ve never been to jail before.  Going there and seeing him, I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night when I got home.  Because here I’m thinking how out of touch someone like myself is with what’s really going on.”"

No matter what his connections are, what stands out about Kraft is his ability to relate to people from different walks of life.  He even went against his good friend Donald Trump and sided with the players during the National Anthem controversy.

Again, for what has done with ventures like the one above makes this scandal a tough one to ingest for all who have worked with him closely and has witnessed his humanity.

The league ambassador

Everyone seems to have respect for Mr. Kraft and it mainly stems from what he has done for the league.

Not only is he the owner of the most successful franchise in all of sports over the least two decades, he has become one of the faces of the NFL.

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Through his friendship and feud with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Kraft has accepted any punishments handed down to his team from the league office.  As a team owner he understands the business nature.  He has also shown to understand the players as well.

Back in 2011, Kraft was the driving force in the NFLPA and NFL settlement agreement.  That’s where he gathered extreme respect from the likes of former Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday.

"“The big shift in this entire deal was when players and owners began to negotiate just in a room by ourselves,” Saturday said back in 2011.  “And you really began to see men’s personalities and what they believe in stand up and come out.  Robert Kraft was instrumental in getting this deal done.”"

Like he stood out back then, he recently had to mend fences between his star coach and star quarterback.  The reported tension between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady was handled by Robert Kraft in a way that ultimately led the two to put aside differences and continue the winning ways of the organization.

In summary, whatever happens to Mr. Kraft in the upcoming weeks, what he has done for New England Patriots organization, the NFL and the local communities is now in the forefront and under ridicule due to possible misdemeanor charges.

As far as throwing any out any judgement either way, base is solely off what has been reported instead of any speculation.