• 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
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
Fortune Secondary Logo
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
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Jessica Thompson poses outside her home.
Future of Workgender issues
Today’s Equal Pay Day. Women and men still disagree about who has more economic opportunities
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 26, 2026
6 hours ago
New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro pictured
Arts & EntertainmentDisney
Disney CEO’s no good, very bad week: Josh D’Amaro is dealing with 3 major headaches
By Tristan BoveMarch 26, 2026
6 hours ago
gas
Economyunemployment
Trump’s war in Iran is costing the U.S. economy 10,000 jobs a month, Goldman Sachs says
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 26, 2026
9 hours ago
Wealthy New Yorker on phone
SuccessBillionaires
New York is home to 154 billionaires. Together they’re worth $975.7 billion—and some of them are even making $2 million an hour
By Emma BurleighMarch 26, 2026
11 hours ago
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg
SuccessCareers
30-year-old CEO of $11 billion Harvey earned the backing of OpenAI and Sam Altman. He says you have to ‘re-earn’ your role every 6 months
By Preston ForeMarch 26, 2026
11 hours ago
SuccessHiring
Duolingo CEO’s taxi driver test decides who gets hired—before the interview even starts
By Sydney LakeMarch 26, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
1 day ago
Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
2 days ago
Environment
Vail Resorts CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
20 hours ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
3 days ago
Success
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says remote work breeds ‘rope-a-dope politics’ and stunts young workers’ growth
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 25, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 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.