Robert Kraft

The Apple TV+ documentary series The Dynasty drew strong criticism from supporters, former Patriots and observers who considered it overly favourable to Kraft and excessively harsh towards Belichick. ESPN noted that Kraft held the audiovisual rights to the source book and that several Hall of Fame voters perceived the project as connected to his public image.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

An ESPN investigation described a campaign lasting more than a decade by Kraft's associates to secure his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, involving lobbying of voters and image-building initiatives. Some voters said that Spygate, Deflategate and the Florida case weighed on their assessment and perceived certain media projects as favourable to his candidacy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Kraft was charged in Florida with two misdemeanour counts of soliciting prostitution following a police operation at the Orchids of Asia massage parlour. He pleaded not guilty and apologised for disappointing those close to him. Courts subsequently ruled that the video surveillance was unlawful because insufficient measures had been taken to protect innocent customers' privacy; prosecutors dropped the charges in 2020 and the videos were eventually ordered destroyed.

Attribution

Accused

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Kraft authorised Belichick to sign Antonio Brown before certain sexual allegations became public. After further allegations and messages regarded as threatening towards an accuser emerged, Kraft played a decisive role in the collective decision to release Brown eleven days after his arrival.

State of the evidence

Documented

Kraft, a longstanding friend of Donald Trump, donated $1 million to the inaugural committee and publicly maintained the relationship. However, when Trump called on NFL owners to fire players protesting during the anthem, Kraft said he was "deeply disappointed" by the President's tone and defended players' right to protest peacefully.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following Deflategate, the NFL imposed a $1 million fine and the loss of draft picks on the Patriots. Kraft, having publicly challenged the fairness of the process, announced that the organisation would accept the penalty to end its dispute with the league.

State of the evidence

Documented

During a meeting in Russia in 2005, Robert Kraft left without his Super Bowl XXXIX ring after showing it to Vladimir Putin. Kraft issued a statement at the time saying he had given it as a gift, but in 2013 said Putin had actually kept it and that a White House representative had advised him to describe the episode as a gift for diplomatic reasons.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

In Spygate, the NFL fined the Patriots $250,000 and stripped them of a first-round pick over videotaping practices directed under Bill Belichick. As owner, Kraft faced the club's penalty and associated reputational crisis.

State of the evidence

Documented