• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipVladmir Putin

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Still Wants Vladimir Putin to Give His Super Bowl Ring Back

By
Jeremy Quittner
Jeremy Quittner
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 6, 2017, 11:59 AM ET

The New England Patriots may have pulled off the most shocking victory in Super Bowl history—but it seems that the team’s owner is still hung up on a loss.

Following the team’s win on Sunday night, Patriots owner Robert Kraft resurfaced claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin stole his $25,000 Super Bowl ring.

Kraft’s comments on Fox News are part of an ongoing saga stretching back to 2005, when Kraft and other executives, including News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch and then Citigroup chief executive and chairman Stanford Weil met Putin in the Kremlin, allegedly to discuss business.

PUTIN
Putin, right, shakes hands with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft while holding Kraft’s diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring, as [hotlink]News Corp[/hotlink]. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, center, looks on during a meeting of American business executives at the 18th century Konstantin Palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia on June 25, 2005.Alexander Zemlianichenko — AP
Alexander Zemlianichenko — AP

As the story goes, Kraft handed the diamond-studded ring to Putin as a bit of show and tell. “I could kill someone with this ring,” Putin reportedly said as he fitted it on his finger. When Kraft held out his hand to get it back, Putin, surrounded by KGB agents, wordlessly slipped the ring into his pocket.

News circulated quickly that the ring was not meant as a gift, which prompted Kraft to issue this statement at the time:

“At the end of a very productive, three-hour business meeting with President Putin … I showed the president my most recent Super Bowl ring,” Kraft said. “Upon seeing the ring, President Putin, a great and knowledgeable sports fan, was clearly taken with its uniqueness. 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.”

Putin Super Bowl Ring Football
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring belonging to New England Patriots NFL football team owner Robert Kraft during a meeting of American business executives at the 18th century Konstantin Palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia on June 25, 2005.Alexander Zemlianichenko — AP
Alexander Zemlianichenko — AP

However in 2013, Kraft reneged, and offered some backstory about the incident, alleging the George W. Bush administration had pressured him at the time to let go of the ring to avoid an international incident:

Sign up: Click here to subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

“‘It would really be in the best interest of US-Soviet relations if you meant to give the ring as a present,'” Kraft recalls the White House saying.

“I really didn’t [want to]. I had an emotional tie to the ring, it has my name on it,” said Kraft. “I don’t want to see it on eBay. There was a pause on the other end of the line, and [the White House] voice repeated, ‘It would really be in the best interest if you meant to give the ring as a present.'”

A Putin spokesman at the time called Kraft’s claims “weird,” and said the ring was clearly intended as a gift, adding that it was on display at the Kremlin library.

“I do have an emotional attachment to that ring,” Kraft repeated on Sunday. The ring is said to be encrusted with 124 diamonds and engraved with Kraft’s name.

President Trump and Kraft are friends, and some have speculated Kraft hopes to lean on the friendship to get his bling back.

The renewed ring controversy comes at a time when Fox News is under fire from the Kremlin, which wants an apology for comments made by commentator Bill O’Reilly. On Sunday, O’Reilly described Putin as “a killer,” during an interview with Trump. O’Reilly had been pressing the president to explain why he respects Putin.

“There are a lot of killers,” Trump said. “You think our country’s so innocent?”

Fortune has reached out to the Patriots for comment and will update this story with any response.

About the Author
By Jeremy Quittner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Leadership

Kiara Nirghin, the co-founder and CTO of the applied AI lab Chima
AIBrainstorm AI
Gen Z founder on ‘AI anxiety’ and being pigeonholed as generation shortcut: that’s the ‘biggest misconception’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 25, 2025
3 hours ago
SuccessMillionaires
Meet the millionaires living the ‘underconsumption’ life: They drive secondhand cars, batch cook, and never buy new clothes
By Eleanor PringleDecember 25, 2025
4 hours ago
Baby in hospital
SuccessBillionaires
Chinese billionaire who has fathered more than 100 children hopes to have dozens of U.S.-born boys to one day take over his business
By Emma BurleighDecember 25, 2025
5 hours ago
Butch Meily
Commentaryempathy
The global empathy crisis that confronts us this Christmas
By Butch MeilyDecember 25, 2025
6 hours ago
Telluride
North AmericaLabor
Telluride resort owner rips into ski patrol union after strikes shuts down slopes on Christmas
By Mead Gruver and The Associated PressDecember 25, 2025
8 hours ago
C-Suitechief executive officer (CEO)
From Kohl’s CEO ousting to Kroger chief’s sudden resignation, 2025 a tumultuous year for the C-suite. Here are the 5 most dramatic exits this year
By Erin Cabrey and Retail BrewDecember 25, 2025
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Trump turns government into giant debt collector with threat to garnish wages on millions of Americans in default on student loans
By Annie Ma and The Associated PressDecember 24, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Retail
Trump just declared Christmas Eve a national holiday. Here’s what’s open and closed
By Dave SmithDecember 24, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Mark Zuckerberg gifted noise-canceling headphones to his Palo Alto neighbors because of the nonstop construction around his 11 homes
By Dave SmithDecember 25, 2025
4 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Chinese billionaire who has fathered more than 100 children hopes to have dozens of U.S.-born boys to one day take over his business
By Emma BurleighDecember 25, 2025
5 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Obama's former top economic advisor says he feels 'a tiny bit bad' for Trump because gas prices are low, but consumer confidence is still plummeting 
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 24, 2025
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Billionaire philanthropy's growing divide: Mark Zuckerberg stops funding immigration reform as MacKenzie Scott doubles down on DEI
By Ashley LutzDecember 22, 2025
3 days ago