New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has a strong message for the team’s haters.
Kraft was interviewed by Andrea Kremer for HBO’s “Real Sports” in a feature that aired on Tuesday. Kraft and his son Jonathan, a VP with the Pats, offered several strong quotes.
The best was this one that came when Robert Kraft was asked by Kremer how he responds to those who call his team “cheaters.”
“Envy and jealousy are incurable diseases. The haters still hate. And I understand it, and we’ll do our best to keep them in that position,” Kraft says.
They also talked about drafting Tom Brady, who won his fifth Super Bowl just over two weeks ago.
“I always remember him coming down the stairs at the old stadium. He said to me, ‘Hi, I’m Tom Brady.’ And he looked me in the eye and he said, ‘And I’m the best decision this organization has ever made,’” Robert Kraft recalled.
Jonathan Kraft added this: “I said, ‘God, really?’ I’m like, ‘Was he cocky?’ And my father said to me, ‘I’m telling you. There’s something about the way he said it that I believe him.’”
Winning the latest Super Bowl wasn’t easy, as the Pats came back from down 28-3 to win in overtime. But Robert Kraft didn’t doubt whether Brady believed he could lead a comeback. This is Jonathan recalling his father’s feelings on the team trailing.
“He looked over to me on that first touchdown drive we had. So it was probably about three minutes to go in the third. And he said, ‘Do you think Tommy still believes that we can win the game?’ And I said, ‘Tommy believes.’ And my father looked at me and said, ‘I know he does. I know he does.’”
Winning as much as the Patriots have — thanks in large part to Brady — is going to lead to many haters, especially when you’ve been involved in as many scandals as they have. But the latest one coming after Brady’s Deflategate suspension had extra meaning for Kraft.
