New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin pocketed one of his Super Bowl rings during a meeting in 2005, The New York Post reported late Friday.
According to the Post, Kraft told the story while speaking this week at Carnegie Hall’s Medal of Excellence gala at the Waldorf-Astoria. The Putin-ring incident occurred during a meeting with other business executives 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 told the crowd this week. “I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out.”
At the time, Kraft released a statement saying, “President Putin, a great and knowledgable sports fan, was clearly taken with its uniqueness. I decided to give him the ring as a symbol of the respect and admiration that I have for the Russian people and [his] leadership.”
But according to Kraft’s version the story now, he was urged to claim the ring was a gift at the urging of the White House.
“It would really be in the best interest of US-Soviet relations if you meant to give the ring as a present,” Kraft said the White House told him.
