During the star-studded Netflix event 'The Roast of Tom Brady', New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn't hold back, demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin return his Super Bowl ring with a choice expletive.
The comedy special featured a lineup of celebrities and sports icons, including Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Bill Belichick, and Rob Gronkowski, who all took turns poking fun at NFL superstar Tom Brady. However, it was Kraft's moment in the spotlight that turned heads when he revisited the infamous 2005 incident where Putin ended up with his Super Bowl ring.
Addressing the audience at the Los Angeles Forum, Kraft didn't mince words: "And one more thing, in case Vladimir Putin, you're watching, give me my ------- ring back, will ya? ".
The backstory to Kraft's bold onstage demand dates back to a high-profile meeting following the Patriots' victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Kraft was part of a delegation, which included media mogul Rupert Murdoch, that flew to Saint Petersburg to discuss US-Russia trade relations.
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Their encounter occurred at Konstantinovsky Palace, where Sandy Weill, then president of Citigroup, suggested Kraft show off his sparkling 4.94-carat championship ring to Putina piece valued at $25,000. The exchange led to an international stir when the Russian leader walked away with the prized ring.
Speaking about the incident at Carnegie Hall's Medal of Excellence gala in 2013, Kraft told the crowd at the Waldorf-Astoria: "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’. I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out."
Days later, reports emerged claiming Putin had stolen Kraft's ring, and it became a political storm and was even labeled 'an international incident'. Kraft claims he was told by a White House staff member to not publicly disclose that the ring had been taken against his will to maintain US-Russian relations.
Robert Kraft met with Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg in 2005 (Getty Images)The 82 year old therefore originally said he had given the ring to Putin, who admitted the ring's size and diamonds, as a gift. In a formal statement to appease the Bush administration, 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."
However, since the incident, Kraft has pointed out his emotional investment in the ring as it symbolizes the epic win over the Eagles. He believes the ring is in the Kremlin library along with other foreign gifts, while Putin claimed he does not remember Kraft nor the ring.
Vladimir Putin denied taking the ring but offered a solution to the New England Patriots owner (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)"You know, I do not remember Mr. Kraft, nor the ring," Putin revealed at the Petersburg Economic Forum, according to Interfax. "But if it's like this - I remember that I was handed some souvenirs - if this is such a great value for Kraft and the respective team, I have a proposal.
"I will ask our factory to produce really good, significant, so we can see that this kind of thing is expensive and with good metal, and stone, so that this product can be passed from generation to generation of the team, which represents the interests of Mr. Kraft."
To add more fuel to the fire, he stated: "(It) will be the smartest ... solution to this complex, international problem."Meanwhile, Kraft hasn't forgotten the incident, and judging by his comments on Netflix, he's far from happy with a replica.
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