Putin Took My Super Bowl Ring, Patriots Owner Says

Wasn't a gift as he previously characterized the 2005 incident

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he didn't actually give Vladimir Putin his Super Bowl ring as a gift in 2005 but that the Bush Administration asked him to say so to avoid a diplomatic incident.

From Fox News:

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he did not swipe New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's Super Bowl ring, but Putin's spokesman said the Russian leader will reimburse him with another ring.

Kraft said at the Carnegie Hall's Medal of Excellence gala in New York on Thursday that Putin took the 124-diamond ring -- valued at $25,000 -- during a 2005 meeting in St. Petersburg. 

"I took out the ring and showed it to [Putin], and he put it on and he goes, 'I can kill someone with this ring," Kraft said, according to the New York Post. "I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out."

A spokesperson for Putin denies the claim but says Putin can buy Kraft another ring and suggested the Patriots' owner see a psychoanalyst. A spokesperson for the Kraft Group says Kraft retells the story as a "humorous anecdote" that shouldn't be taken seriously and that he respects Putin's leadership and modernization of the Russian economy.

Maybe the guy in Massachusetts who found a piece of the Russian space station Mir in his backyard can trade for the ring.

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Comments

[Pro Libertate]

You know, the world is way overdue for a Putin biopic. I mean, yeah, he's pretty much a dictator and a thug, but don't tell me he's not entertaining.

[Robert]

That was the idea behind Vladimir Putin Action Comics.

[Jon Lester]

I fully intend to get his judo DVD's sometime soon.

[Hugh Akston]

I might actually have some respect for Obama if he pulled this on another country. Maybe steal the, I don't know, frilly tutu or lifetime supply of KY they award for winning the World Cup and just walk out with it. That would be awesome.

Also the fact that Putin stole from the Pats owner makes this story all the better.

[Pro Libertate]

Obama should remove the Black Stone from the Kaaba then deny doing it, even though he's on tape doing so. If he's such a tough guy and everything.

[Auric Demonocles]

Shaggy Obama.

[Pro Libertate]

Or Huggy Obama.

[Suthenboy]

Have you seen the guy pitch?

[Pro Libertate]

Well, he did kill bin Laden with his bare hands.

[BakedPenguin]

Yeah, terrible. He's probably more used to catching.

[Pro Libertate]

Seriously, I never got people challenging his nationality. Challenging his gender would make more sense. What guy throws like that?

[Auric Demonocles]

Europeans.

[Pro Libertate]

Good point. So he's a secret Frenchman.

[Auric Demonocles]

Or a secret Frenchwoman.

[Hugh Akston]

I'm telling you, it's all soccer's fault. When you prohibit dudes from using their hands, they all end up throwing like goddamn girls.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course, by the same token, we can't kick for shit. Is there a culture that can both kick and throw?

[Auric Demonocles]

We can kick, but only ass.

[Hyperion]

The only thing that could ever make me have a little respect for Putin, is if he openly challenges Obama to a bare knuckle boxing match, or just a no holds barred cage match, UFC style.

[Auric Demonocles]

What if he fights with the ring on?

[BakedPenguin]

You heard what Putin said. Sounds like a win-win to me.

[Paul.]

I see this is a highly efficient, progressive tax system that russia has going.

Putin got right at the 1%, collected the tax on the spot and required no complex revenue agency with all that overhead.

I think Putin is onto something, and the Occupy movement should be paying attention.

Take that, 1%!

[generic Brand]

"Steve" Kraft? You must know ol' Bob pretty well, Ed.

[Auric Demonocles]

Now you look like a fool, all because some animals are more equal than others.

EDIT BUTTON!!!

[CE]

In Putin's glorious Russia, Super Bowl Ring wins Exalted Leader.

[Paul.]

Oh, and when you wear a $25,000 diamond ring in Russia, you kind of get what you deserve. My mother told stories about Russian soldiers stopping trains and demanding watches when they saw one that was particularly shiny.

[Brett L]

So, racoons with guns?

[Paul.]

Much less charming than racoons, I'd suspect.

[Brett L]

I guess the Krafts aren't used to "FYTW". Welcome to the party, pal.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm confused why rolling over and letting the other party get away with whatever they want is better for diplomatic relations.

And no hat tip for the Mir story to whoever posted it in the AM links?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Well, we are talking about the Bush administration here. Their Russia policy was not exactly high political statesmanship.

[Pro Libertate]

I missed that--what Mir story?

[JW]

That "mir" never meant peace! It was a trick!

[Auric Demonocles]

It's the one referenced in the article. I'm too lazy to link it for you, so you'll have to do 2 clicks to get there. Damn 24/7.

[Pro Libertate]

Screw that. I missed a whole week--what's one more story?

[Auric Demonocles]

But this one is about space.

[Pro Libertate]

It's clearly not fascinating enough to you to relay it to me, so I'm filtering it.

[Auric Demonocles]

Some dude in Massachusetts found a chunk of the MIR space station in his backyard.

[Pro Libertate]

Last week? What, the Russians have anti-gravity now?

[Auric Demonocles]

He wasn't searching very hard.

[Pro Libertate]

I dunno, I'm thinking I'd notice a Russian space station in my backyard.

[Auric Demonocles]

Well that's why it wasn't in your backyard. You think the Russians are that foolish to put their spy equipment where it's going to get noticed right off? Of course not.

[Pro Libertate]

I have been wondering why I don't find more Russian equipment in my backyard. Think it would help if I pretended to close my eyes while I'm back there?

[Auric Demonocles]

It might. Although how close are you really getting to those "pythons"?

[Adam330]

Mr. Putin has your hat tip...

[Suthenboy]

So, pols all over the world are thuggish petty criminal types, not just the ones here. Amazing.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

No way. I have been informed by several leftists and libertarians of repute that the US is unique in its evils.

[Paul.]

Uhm, no. Politicians here don't engage in this kind of theft. They have 'people' for that.

[JW]

True, but Putin will show how you it's really supposed to be done: quickly, mortally and without mercy.

[JW]

In 1999, the team officially announced that it would remain in Foxboro, which led to Gillette Stadium's construction.[28] Robert Kraft paid for 100% of the construction costs, a rare instance of an NFL owner privately financing the construction of a stadium.

If this is true, I may have to revise my feelings about Kraft.

I was going to say that the ring was comeuppance for being a stadium welfare queen, but I guess not.

[Adam330]

Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he still gets plenty of taxpayer money indirectly through the NFL's financing arrangements.

[Pro Libertate]

Putin on the Ritz!

[JW]

AAAAUUUUUOOOOOOBAAAAAHHHHHMMMMMM!

[Sevo]

http://instantrimshot.com/

[mr lizard]

In Putin's Russia, ring gifts you

[sticks]

How much money has this owner taken from the taxpayer? Or did the patriots actually pay for their stadium themselves? Not that it would be okay to steal from a thief.

[sticks]

"Robert Kraft paid for 100% of the construction costs, a rare instance of an NFL owner privately financing the construction of a stadium"

Well shit. Goodmformhim.

[sloopyinca]

IIRC, he also paid for many of the infrastructure expenses in the surrounding area.

[hamilton]

Yes, pretty much all Kraft (and to be fair he is making serious profit off of it). The local municipalities have bitched about having to police the roads and deal with the traffic, but I suspect they kinda like the revenue maybe a little bit.

[Mike M.]

It's tempting to feel sorry for Kraft here, except that he's a stooge for Block Yomomma.

Also, given that his team cheated its way to the title, it's kind of fitting in an odd way to get his undeserved ring taken away from him.

[Auric Demonocles]

Awwww, somebody beat the team you like, and now you're going to pretend that videotaping an opponent's defensive signals in 2007 made your own defense great 6 years prior?

[sloopyinca]

I just hate them because Tom Brady went to Michigan and is a douchenozzle. I couldn't care less about them stealing signals. I actually liked them when Bledsoe was there.

Seriously, though, fuck Tom Brady with a rusty pair of bolt cutters.

[Brandon]

What has Tom Brady done? He fucks supermodels, he is historically good at something that is extremely difficult to do, and at least he didn't go to Ohio State.

[sloopyinca]

Go fuck yourself. He went to Michigan. He is a douche.

[sloopyinca]

Since we're living in 200(fucking)5, I can't wait for the earth-shattering scoop on what happened to that crazy fuck Ozzie Guillen when he met former Venezuelan strongman and current Tussaud display Hugo Chavez.

[hamilton]

So Putin just has to steal one more Super Bowl ring from Kraft to catch up to Eli Manning?

[Jon Lester]

Say what you want about Putin; the man is competent, and I think maybe that's the real reason why the western media have tried so hard to distract us from considering his actual job performance, and the fact that his opponents have thus far failed to win the confidence of Russian voters. Not every electorate is willing to take a chance on inept candidates just for the sake of "change."

[Episiarch]

Shut up, moron.

[SugarFree]

+1 echo chamber

[Brandon]

Shut up, fattie.