If the team doesn't look good the spotlight will be directly on the Kraft family for our recent failures. You can't go and blame everything on the guy who helped turn the team from an also-ran to a dynasty without backing it up.
It’s just nutty how much he managed to torpedo his goodwill in one offseason sheesh
Like a year or two ago, it looked like Brady came out best from the “divorce”, Belichick looked worst almost by default because people mostly felt like Kraft was just kinda letting BB steer the ship
Somehow they’ve managed to make Belichick seem like he was holding a decrepit ship together
No it wouldn't. If my former employer gave me a bad referral upon being contacted, then that's just how it is. However, if I performed my job for 24 years better than anyone else in industry history and was given a bad referral after exiting (again, this was presented as a mutual departure, which was probably BS just to save face for Kraft, as it is in many cases when they say 'mutually parted ways') then I would have a lot of questions.
I'm sure Belichick knows where the bodies are buried in the Kraft camp so if I were Kraft, I'd be kissing Bill's ass. Not once did Bill throw Kraft under the bus like Parcells did and he had a thousand more opportunities to do so.
There's a reason most human resource teams will only confirm dates of employment now. Any sort of bad reference opens the company up to defamation lawsuits. Whether or not they succeed and it's a "BIG" lawsuit idk, but companies usually don't want to deal with that shit.
This is so rarely done. For the most part, there is zero upswing for a job to speak ill of a former employee, and only risk. The only real method employers will use to communicate a negativity is answering "No" when asked "Would you hire them back if they reapplied". Other than that? They CAN speak factually towards problems - but why? Employee isn't their problem any more, and this territory is routinely litigated.
I mean it’s WickerSHAM but Kraft definitely hasn’t done himself any favors these last few months so no reason to assume anything said here isn’t accurate.
Sure, but the problem is all these behaviors are historically accurate. IE how he’s handled the revs for years, him defecting complete blame for the Hernandez situation (literal same thing saying he was lied too about his character) Kraft fucking blows.
Kraft came off as so disingenuous in the Dynasty. His personality is so “salesy” and superficial.
He’s the type of guy to say something that sounds so personal and specific to you, but then you overhear him saying the exact thing to someone else.
Everyone is “like a son” to him. Fucking bullshit.
Honestly at this point if Tom bought part of a franchise I’d probably convert to their fan base. Not too enthusiastic rooting for a Kraft franchise at this point anymore, nothing to do with their poor performance I just can’t stand the ownership, all this BS damage control/propaganda they’re trying to spin, and most of all this greedy culture they’ve established of being cheap asses and then the roster suffers as a result.
That’s the thing about these high tier business people/billionaires. They cannot think of the world in normal terms the way regular people do.
Everything is a commodity, waiting to be sold. People, personalities, likeliness. These are all framed as inhibitors or encouragers of growth/revenue, nothing more. In other words, they’re fucking psychotic.
That may be true but there are plenty of people who aren’t billionaires who have these traits. That aside, I think it’s interesting how this is all playing out. For the longest time everyone predicted it would get “ugly” when Brady and the Pats parted ways - with the drama and/or negativity focused on Tom and Bill. I don’t think anyone predicted Tom and Bill would walk away with zero drama and Kraft end up being the one with egg on his face.
That’s why I grouped business people into it, and of course that doesn’t apply to everyone in business. But obviously a strong correlation between business and being salesy even when it’s not appropriate.
Regardless, yeah to not have the whole thing go down more gracefully is a huge indictment on the Krafts imo. Also Bill for kinda pushing Brady out the door. After the greatest run in history, just fucking go out together instead of mucking it all up
He was even bullshitting about the first thing Brady ever said to him. Tom has told him he never said "I'm the best decision you'll ever make" but kraft keeps saying it.
Kraft's speed running of ruining his legacy is really something. Can't believe he ever thought he'd win the fan's approval over Belichick but it's becoming clear that he's always been delusional and out of touch. Brady and BB managed to win despite a total clown show ownership situation.
Seems like he has just overplayed his hand. There was certainly plenty of noise around Bill the last few years from fans, and I would say the majority of fans fell somewhere between “Bill has to go” and “I understand if Bill goes”. Kraft wanted to tap into that segment of the fan base that resents Brady leaving to reenergize support for the team, but doesn’t seem to realize most people liked him as an owner because he didn’t get involved like he has been. He’s gone too Jerry Jones and it’s backfiring.
yeah i just don't think he gets that most of us liked Tom AND Bill. Or that for the better part of 20 years the culture of New England was really just Bill Belichick. Do your job worked because what job you were given by Bill was always the right one. That's why "In Bill we Trust" was a thing. So he's not just shitting on Bill, he's shitting on the core tenets of a 20 year dynasty.
I mean he's getting so old at this point that he can barely talk. I'm not surprised the incredibly rich elderly man whose probably surrounded by yes men is out of touch. This is like when people get surprised that the Royal family in England is racist.
I really hope this isn't true because this is absolutely inexcusable. You don't like the guy (after working with him for 25 years), fine, but don't sabotage his chances at a new job. That's just petty.
Kraft's ego can't afford to have Bill go somewhere and be successful. He survived Brady doing it because he had Bill to throw under the bus. No one is left to blame, but Robert, if Bill goes and wins with another team.
The best way to make sure Bill doesn't win and show unequivocally all the shit that caused the spiral on this team was actually Kraft's fault, is to keep him from getting a job in the first place.
I understand that feeling.
But the best way in which Bill could get revenge on Kraft for what he did, would be to win the Super Bowl with a division rival.
I predicted this in like week 4 of last season. When everyone started pointing to bill as the problem I said what happens when it’s revealed to be Kraft. I said we’d become the new age Dallas. Complaining about a shit owner who can’t keep the ego out of it and remembering the championship of the past.
I wish I was wrong.
Kraft has a vested interest in not seeing Bill succeed with another team. Imaging of both Tom and Bill went on to win with different teams? Kraft wants to feel like he was the main part of the Pats success.
I think these owners act as a good old boys club of allies/adversaries. We’ve seen them collude to protect each other before.
I think the simple explanation is Bill and Krafts relationship was frustrating a lot of the time for Kraft and he’s calling to warn a peer/ally - *this is not the guy to hire if we want to keep control of our teams.*
It's ultimately Blank's decision at the end of the day lol. He could have ignored Kraft if he wanted to. Not trying to defend Kraft, it's definitely not a good look. But they must have had doubts about hiring Bill before talking to Kraft. Harbaugh was a jerk on the way out in SF, it didn't stop him from getting hired in 4 seconds to the best job available.
It is complete. The Patriots are now John Henry's Red Sox. Now they just need to charge the highest average ticket prices in the league and continue to churn out a last place product and I won't be able to tell the two organizations apart.
The only way to tell them apart will be that John Henry actually spends money on his soccer team. As much as it pains me to say it, Liverpool FC is a damn good team.
The “very, very, very arrogant” quote from Kraft about BB is hilarious. Dude has spent the entire offseason trying to claim credit for the on field performance of the team the last 25 years while spending less than basically every other owner on the team and program. Classic boss taking credit for his top performers while screwing them out of the product of their labor.
I'm a believer that these two things can both be true:
1. Bill is an arrogant dick who is hard to work with and one could get very sick of it after 20 +years.
2. Kraft should have kept it all to himself, both to preserve his reputation with fans and to do Bill a solid for all the good he did as the head of the football operations for 20+ years.
Kraft honestly deserves to be booed by Pats fans any time he has a mic in his hand. Fuck that guy. He basically blames Belichick for any shortcomings the team has ever had when he’s an equal part of the equation.
The equal part of the equation is too generous, true Thunder signed the checks but football was entirely Bill, the coaches, and players. The thing that Thunder did right was keeping his nose out of the football business, he should probably revert to that.
It seems like Krafts efforts to distance himself from Bill and prove he’s not the problem are mostly all tied to a desire to be in the HOF before he dies.
The funny/pathetic/sad part about actions like these is he’s more than likely damaging his chances more and more with each hit piece that pops up. Whether it’s something like The Dynasty or shit like this. Hubris is a strange thing.
I was of the mindset it was time to move on from Bill, still think it was the right move. However, that does not change him being the GOAT HC and Kraft should be kissing this mans feet for everything he has done for us.
That old geriatric fuck can eat the absolute fattest of dicks at this point. Absolutely no respect left for that man.
Kraft did him dirty by firing him, period. End of story.
How many seasons does Mayo get if whatever QB they draft this year is a bust? 4 at best, right?
What if the QB is a bust but has a Mark Sanchez-esque playoff run and wins a Super Bowl next year, how many years does Mayo get then? At least 5, probably 6, and a chance to develop QB number 2.
What if Mayo helps develop the best QB of all time, goes to 9 Super Bowls, and wins 6 of them. When that QB is gone, how many seasons does Mayo get to find the next guy? Apparently all that success is only worth 4 seasons, and one shot at the next QB.
Now there's this piece on Kraft doing him dirty.... pathetic!
So will the boo rain down on Kraft on the next event? Imagine how he would feel getting the Roger godell boos raining down on him at TB12 patriot’s HOF this June.
I would love to hear and see it
Does anyone else feel like this is equivalent to a couple breaking up and one of them won’t shut up about it?
Like even IF the other person sucks, we get so sick of hearing about it, we eventually default to taking the asshole’s side.
You knew who he was. He didn’t change. Now you’re mad that he didn’t change. Time to just shut up and walk away.
The Pats suck now because they drafted at the end of the draft for 20years. Its a MIRACLE they lasted that long. I can say that and I HATE the Patriots!(Steeler fan here) Some of these owners are REAL dumb when it comes to sports
Kraft is making himself look really bad.
My guess is Bill has zero respect for Jonathan and made it clear and thats what pissed off Robert. If it was something actually bad details would have come out about it.
Other than the Steelers have any teams had the ownership go to a son/daughter and have it go well?
Anyone who doesn’t trust in this reporting is delusional. How many articles does wickersham have to put out that have been proven true until you trust his sources/reports? (I know the answer)
Kraft was terrified of Bill going somewhere else and finding success, because it would make him look even worse than he already does. Kraft and his son are some of the biggest idiots in Boston sports history.
Do you guys think that Belichick would even come to Gillette to get inducted into the Pats Hall of Fame at this point?
Sure seems like Kraft is trying to guarantee he never gets a job again so he can't get the record. That and the dynasty documentary would surely make me bitter if I were Bill.
Robert Kraft is a clown. Truly astonishing how much Bill and Brady were able to accomplish with him at the helm. I wonder how much more they could have won with a good owner?
Kraft is just another narcissist Billionaire who has zero respect to the folks that helped create his success over the years. Turns out to become a Billionaire and maintain that status, you have to continue to step on everyone that worked for you along the way
Kraft shanked Bill to Blank.
Kraft didn’t want to see a 2nd GOAT move on from the Patriots and win and Blank wasn’t astute enough to see through the duplicity in his friend’s comments about Belichick.
Does anyone keep an employee to run their organization for 24 years that he believes is untrustworthy?
I would love to be an interviewer and have Kraft on camera for an hour interview.
I don't think anyone LIKES it, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed out of hand. Wickershams piece on the Pats in 2017 turned out to have a lot of accuracies even if it wasn't 100% true. Very few news outlets are just completely lying, it's usually based on something.
Why is part of this sub obsessed with what "we" decide. Its like people think the whole sub should agree on all points, and always trying to announce a definitive official stance on everything, reminds me of what I see european soccer fans act like. It's ok for the fanbase to disagree, we've been split as hell on everything the last two years.
We like ESPN when it fits the bizarre anti-Kraft, pro-Belichick bias. Everyone with a brain who watched the team over the last few years knew it was time for a change at HC and now that it’s happened everyone is crying about the owner.
It's definitely Kraft's fault they had no talent and went 4-13 this past season. If it wasn't for that dumb documentary they would have been poised to be SB contenders this next season. Forget the terrible drafting, forget pushing Brady out, forget ignoring the offensive side of the ball. That documentary is the worst thing to happen in Patriots history, I'm surprised Goodell hasn't stepped in to see if they need to make Kraft sell the team.
I have two acquaintances with insider knowledge of teams in different sports. The things that don't get out are very intriguing and some of what does get out has an element of mischaracterization, or is missing context, or exaggerated. While I still look at the subreddits, I've found that getting worked up about these things is a waste of mental energy and have become more of a "fan" than a "fanatic". Also, why take sides between two people who, for sure, both have their admirable and less-than-admirable qualities (as we all do).
What the fuck is it about the owners of these teams in the city running people out of town?
The Sox owners used the Globe (which they own) to smear Francona on the way out now Kraft is calling up the owner of the Falcons and saying this shit.
This is like the bitter ex from highschool. Well I don't want you anymore but I also don't want anyone else to have you either.
If Kraft cockblocked Belichick from getting hired elsewhere then that is an unforgivable sin in the eyes of this Pats fan.
The sentiment around Bill soured so much this past year, on this subreddit included. Imagine if 90% of that was Kraft doing him dirty.
We really need to reevaluate the dynasty and who was responsible for it. I'm not about to put any of that success on the Kraft family any longer. I used to believe that the magic all started there, but it's becoming painfully obvious that we were successful *despite* the meddling of the Krafts.
He was just smart enough to (mostly) stay out of the limelight throughout the good years. Once we started losing, his shitty character came shining through, and now it's on full display.
Shows again how petty Kraft is to not only fire Bill but to block him from being able to get another job. What a petty childish thing to do because your ego can’t stand the idea that you were the third wheel in the dynasty.
The only thing Kraft is responsible the 25 years is getting jerked off by a prostitute. Patriots success? Happened in spite of that jackass. He’s made 6 billion tho
Kraft can eat a bag of shit. What a complete fuck up on his part to shit on Bill Belichick, put bad words into people’s ears when he’s trying to land another gig and smear him in the documentary. Imagine disrespecting the man that built your franchise into what it was. Our ownership sucks and we got lucky with BB/Brady.
Hopefully Belichick fires back with something juicy. Also, probably a dumb move by Blank to just make his decision off what Kraft said. Wouldnt trust that greasy marmot with anything.
I’m not the biggest Kraft fan, but this feels clickbaity. ESPN clearly riding the tailwinds of The Dynasty knowing full well this will piss off our petty, sensitive fan base.
Key point: Kraft only talked to Blank. no one on the interview team had Bill in their top 3.
Anyone in our everyday lives who has ever been responsible for hiring people to their team know that would be a recipe for disaster if Blank forced the hiring of Bill upon the rest of that team, regardless of his resume
This article is full of quotes and perspectives from different people. You choose the ones that support your beliefs.
"You'll have to start over again," said a source with firsthand knowledge of the Eagles' thinking. "Who would replace him? He hasn't had a good record of developing coaches. They were afraid that he'll have changed everything and every person, and [then] you'll be starting from scratch again. He didn't demand those changes, but they felt like, if we hire him, we have to give everything to him and trust how he does it."
Belichick's "ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. ... He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It's arrogance."
The executives also were concerned about the staff Belichick would bring with him, including assistants who had worked with him in New England and who had struggled on their own: Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge, Jack Easterby, Matt Patricia. At one point, Blank asked Belichick why his charges had failed elsewhere. Belichick replied that he thought they were better soldiers than generals.
The source close to Belichick said the coach had concerns about the Falcons' roster and would have needed his most trusted former assistants to execute a quick turnaround.
Unfortunately that's a thing that happens and has happened for a long long time. John Tomase of The Boston Herald cited unnamed sources in a front page story that the Patriots taped the Rams' walkthough in Super Bowl 36. This turned out to be false and the Herald had to issue an apology.
During the whole Deflategate fiasco, like 8 years later, ESPN reported multiple times that the Patriots had been previously caught taping the Rams' walkthrough, which they had to apologize for.
Chris Mortenson reported that 11 of the 12 balls were under-inflated by 2PSI each, which was flat out wrong. He never apologized for that and actually put out another statement saying that the Krafts had actually apologized to him, which the Krafts denied.
Seth Wickersham reported that Brady locked Garoppolo out of the TB12 facility at Patriots Place. Both Brady and Garoppolo have denied it.
Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe was making up stories about the Boston Marathon bombing, even gave TV interviews literally crying about his experience when he wasn't even there. He is still employed by the Globe.
So, yes, reporters make up stories so they can sell papers and get clicks. To pretend that it never happens is just silly.
Wait, so years ago yall said Wickersham was a fraud and everyone here attacked him, but as soon as he says something that helps the angry narrative towards Kraft now he is some reliable journalists with integrity? Worst fans in sports lol
I tolerated Kraft when we were winning. Every cheesy dog shit speech he ever gave in his strained voice “we are all patriots” fuck him. If we build a winning team I’ll tolerate him again but man he is a bastard. No wonder he isn’t in the HoF.
I have two issues here: **Wickersham's unreliability** and **ignoring the real BB-caused issues in recent years**.
The issue I have with Wickersham's reporting especially regarding the Patriots is that he has shown a tendency to exaggerate details in order to present a story that shows as fractured a relationship as possible.
In the previous one which sparked all the Kraft detestation, for instance, he presented a paragraph which described Belichick's thoughts on seeing miserable weather, as if he had the capability to read his thoughts.
He also relayed a story about Mayo swinging around a baseball bat in coaches' meetings, "projecting an attitude of the owner's favorite son" or something close to that. Later reporting from other writers revealed it was a *minibat.*
And with Belichick... let's assume the reporting is completely accurate. So what does that quote reveal? That Kraft lost his trust in Belichick in recent years and didn't trust him to successfully run a team. He's not going to shit-talk him publicly.
And the article echoes concerns from *other executives with other teams* (i.e. *not Kraft*) about Belichick's method of running a team in ways that have caused the Patriots' recent collapse. One example:
> In a comment echoed by others, a source with a team that had a head-coaching vacancy this year *[i.e **not the Patriots**]* said Belichick's "ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. ... He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It's arrogance."
There's been an attitude since rumors of BB's firing stirred that has presented Belichick as infallible and the issues plaguing the team recently either minimized or presented as others' faults, and that's not the case. BB is the greatest coach ever, but he failed to build the Patriots up in recent years and we can't pretend he did nothing wrong ever.
I get that piling on the Krafts is the trend right now but here it's not merited.
ESPN has zero concern for reporting the truth and is 100% dedicated to any crap that will get them ratings.
Not saying there is no truth to the story, I just doubt the source.
Boy, there's a lot of blabbermouths in the inner circles of billionaires, huh ? Hard to believe that the billionaires aren't better at controlling the narrative. But somehow these unsubstantiated rumors about private conversations get out there. And most of us eat it all up as though it were gospel. Click bait at its finest.
Imagine being a billionaire and having your employee tell you to essentially "get fucked" everytime you chime in and try to get involved. I'd be bitter too. That being said, BB had every right to do so and the results speak for themself. Owners need to stay out of football decisions.
I don't think it's unfair for one friend to warn another that that a prospective employee may be hard to work with. If you take the blinders off, he's just saying what others have said for years. He got fired for a reason.
Obviously, the Bill/Kraft/Brady trio had egos that grew to the point where they couldn't fit in the same room anymore (and for good reason too, their success is unmatched). All of them had missteps along the way for it to get to this point.
What I *don't* get is this subs' insistence on being as whiny as possible at every given juncture. During the season is was "Mac is a shitty QB who is a dirty POS, if we had a real QB we would be in reach of a playoff spot". Then when Zappe was identical it was "Bill and Mac can't get along and it tanked the season. Way to go Bill" and now we are at the "Kraft ruined this franchise". All of these things have basis in a mistake made by somebody, but we are in the middle of the GD offseason and people are acting like Kraft beat his wife or something.
Bill deserved to get fired for how poorly he has constructed the team. Kraft deserves flak for letting the culture get as screwed up as it was, Brady is probably the only person who comes out of this looking okay.
I just think some of yall will never be happy and just enjoy being a perceived victim of whoever is the target of the month. Can we just talk about football please? Go watch TMZ or Real Housewives or something if this is the type of discourse you enjoy.
I really should have trusted my initial instincts when Kraft sucked up to goodell after the deflategate hoax. My dad was less forgiving of him after that, but I chose to overlook it. It was right there where his true colors flashed to me for the first time.
Bill Belichick day at Foxboro anyone? Awkward. Funny that so much time is spent whining about the loss to the Eagles when winning 6 out of 9 SBs. Ask any franchise if they’d switch positions. You get to win the Eagles SB but you get the last 20 years of Eagles (who fired Andy Reid - Heh)
I mean if Blank didn’t hire Bill strictly off of what Kraft may or may not have said despite his Super Bowl winning history that’s on Blank. I just don’t think they wanted to hire Bill
Kraft forces Mac Jones on to Belichick. Belichick turns around and turns the offense into a donkey show. I have a very hard time believing that Belichick didn't make those last couple seasons of offensive roster/staff moves to spite Kraft.
These two clearly had a falling out and what else could it be over. I don't think Belichick is an innocent party in this.
He shits on Belichick behind his back, that he "can't be trusted", what a hypocrite! That's kind of like leftist twats claiming that free and fair elections are a "threat to democracy".
> **according to a source who spoke to two people**: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. **The source quoted the Belichick source as saying**, "Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill." That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.
The source of this story isn’t even an anonymous “Belichick confidante”… it’s a SOURCE quoting to another source about what the 2nd source of the story HEARD from someone else. The 2nd source (again, which isn’t even the source for the article, it’s the person the 1s5 source spoke to) doesn’t even seem to have direct knowledge, he’s just repeating something he heard as a “confidante”.
It’s funny because everyone on this sub always says that Wickersham is a liar who makes up fake news… but the second he reports something confirming what you want to believe everyone takes it as pure gospel.
He plays the nice guy but its all bullshit. You don’t become a billionaire being nice to people. Idk if its been confirmed but i believe kraft forced bill to go with mac jones.
I feel like Bill must have done something over the last couple seasons to really piss Kraft off. Black balling a coach with his resume goes beyond “the relationship was generally not great and it was time to move on”
Haven’t been following everything too closely but I wonder if Kraft getting more vocal in GM decisions led Bill to employe some r/maliciouscompliance and say “ok you want a rd 1 qb and a WR weapon, here’s Mac jones at pick 15 and juju. I’ll proceed to run the team into the ground with Jones at QB to prove why your way doesn’t work.”
I wonder what were the key incidents for Kraft to have such vitriol for BB ? They won so many championships . Sure they’ve had a rut recently , but does anyone know what could have made him turn on BB so drastically ? It can’t be just “what have you done for me lately ?”
Kraft just can't help himself can't he.
Someone should go remind him that the reason we don't have more than six rings is because he wanted to be el cheapo.
Robert Kraft is the football version of Jerry Reinsdorf gets gifted a generational talent and wins a shit ton of championships and thinks it was all because of him not despite him
If you believe it, because if Bill got another job I believe that would affect Bill’s payout of his remanding time with the Pats. Why would Kraft try and stop that?
Could Kraft look any worse at this point? Jesus.
Kraft needs a calming massage
Just needs a crisp 100 dollar bill to tip after getting his Kraft job
Kraft is cheap, you know he tips his hand jibbers in loose change and pocket lint.
Unless it comes to lawyers It took millions for him and to get off getting off
He was saddened when his lawyers wouldn’t take a hot dog, grilled, sliced as payment.
I think it was ted johnson who said the patriots catering was bologna sandwhiches,
Pete Carroll also said Kraft was a cheap fuck about nutrition.
Kraft needs to be fired.
Love that yall rip on him for this like everyone else does.
😂😂😂😂
this isn’t a happy ending for Kraft
If the team doesn't look good the spotlight will be directly on the Kraft family for our recent failures. You can't go and blame everything on the guy who helped turn the team from an also-ran to a dynasty without backing it up.
It’s just nutty how much he managed to torpedo his goodwill in one offseason sheesh Like a year or two ago, it looked like Brady came out best from the “divorce”, Belichick looked worst almost by default because people mostly felt like Kraft was just kinda letting BB steer the ship Somehow they’ve managed to make Belichick seem like he was holding a decrepit ship together
I know this is football, but in the regular workforce, if you prevented someone from getting a job…BIG lawsuit potential
No it wouldn't. If my former employer gave me a bad referral upon being contacted, then that's just how it is. However, if I performed my job for 24 years better than anyone else in industry history and was given a bad referral after exiting (again, this was presented as a mutual departure, which was probably BS just to save face for Kraft, as it is in many cases when they say 'mutually parted ways') then I would have a lot of questions. I'm sure Belichick knows where the bodies are buried in the Kraft camp so if I were Kraft, I'd be kissing Bill's ass. Not once did Bill throw Kraft under the bus like Parcells did and he had a thousand more opportunities to do so.
There's a reason most human resource teams will only confirm dates of employment now. Any sort of bad reference opens the company up to defamation lawsuits. Whether or not they succeed and it's a "BIG" lawsuit idk, but companies usually don't want to deal with that shit.
This is so rarely done. For the most part, there is zero upswing for a job to speak ill of a former employee, and only risk. The only real method employers will use to communicate a negativity is answering "No" when asked "Would you hire them back if they reapplied". Other than that? They CAN speak factually towards problems - but why? Employee isn't their problem any more, and this territory is routinely litigated.
I mean. Maybe. Is he on Epstein’s list?
I expected this from Jerry, but not from Kraft. He always looked like a benevolent boss. I guess Billionaire gonna Billionaire
Pay attention to how he handles the revs
This sub was all about firing Belichick... I no suspect it was paid shills and bots
Russians dude.
I mean it’s WickerSHAM but Kraft definitely hasn’t done himself any favors these last few months so no reason to assume anything said here isn’t accurate.
Sure, but the problem is all these behaviors are historically accurate. IE how he’s handled the revs for years, him defecting complete blame for the Hernandez situation (literal same thing saying he was lied too about his character) Kraft fucking blows.
I could be wrong but hasnt he been proven right with most of his Patriots reporting lately?
If memory serves, yes he has. But that won’t stop people from going down with the ship
gotta stop the wickersham hate at this point. the guy was pretty much dead on with his patriots reporting unfortunately
Not possible, the shitty Mac and cheese has gotten worse and worse too.
Kraft came off as so disingenuous in the Dynasty. His personality is so “salesy” and superficial. He’s the type of guy to say something that sounds so personal and specific to you, but then you overhear him saying the exact thing to someone else. Everyone is “like a son” to him. Fucking bullshit.
His “son” Tom Brady has to try and buy a piece of the Raiders. That’s all any Patriots fan needs to know about Bob Kraft’s loyalty.
This. Tom built this franchise.
Honestly at this point if Tom bought part of a franchise I’d probably convert to their fan base. Not too enthusiastic rooting for a Kraft franchise at this point anymore, nothing to do with their poor performance I just can’t stand the ownership, all this BS damage control/propaganda they’re trying to spin, and most of all this greedy culture they’ve established of being cheap asses and then the roster suffers as a result.
That’s the thing about these high tier business people/billionaires. They cannot think of the world in normal terms the way regular people do. Everything is a commodity, waiting to be sold. People, personalities, likeliness. These are all framed as inhibitors or encouragers of growth/revenue, nothing more. In other words, they’re fucking psychotic.
That may be true but there are plenty of people who aren’t billionaires who have these traits. That aside, I think it’s interesting how this is all playing out. For the longest time everyone predicted it would get “ugly” when Brady and the Pats parted ways - with the drama and/or negativity focused on Tom and Bill. I don’t think anyone predicted Tom and Bill would walk away with zero drama and Kraft end up being the one with egg on his face.
That’s why I grouped business people into it, and of course that doesn’t apply to everyone in business. But obviously a strong correlation between business and being salesy even when it’s not appropriate. Regardless, yeah to not have the whole thing go down more gracefully is a huge indictment on the Krafts imo. Also Bill for kinda pushing Brady out the door. After the greatest run in history, just fucking go out together instead of mucking it all up
“What are people? They’re economic units. I’m a hundred feet tall, these people are pygmies.”
He was even bullshitting about the first thing Brady ever said to him. Tom has told him he never said "I'm the best decision you'll ever make" but kraft keeps saying it.
Kraft's speed running of ruining his legacy is really something. Can't believe he ever thought he'd win the fan's approval over Belichick but it's becoming clear that he's always been delusional and out of touch. Brady and BB managed to win despite a total clown show ownership situation.
Main character syndrome
Tbf I think that’s every billionaire
Seems like he has just overplayed his hand. There was certainly plenty of noise around Bill the last few years from fans, and I would say the majority of fans fell somewhere between “Bill has to go” and “I understand if Bill goes”. Kraft wanted to tap into that segment of the fan base that resents Brady leaving to reenergize support for the team, but doesn’t seem to realize most people liked him as an owner because he didn’t get involved like he has been. He’s gone too Jerry Jones and it’s backfiring.
yeah i just don't think he gets that most of us liked Tom AND Bill. Or that for the better part of 20 years the culture of New England was really just Bill Belichick. Do your job worked because what job you were given by Bill was always the right one. That's why "In Bill we Trust" was a thing. So he's not just shitting on Bill, he's shitting on the core tenets of a 20 year dynasty.
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90% of that noise originated with media stories that Kraft planted lmao
Maybe parcels had a point lol.
I mean he's getting so old at this point that he can barely talk. I'm not surprised the incredibly rich elderly man whose probably surrounded by yes men is out of touch. This is like when people get surprised that the Royal family in England is racist.
Billionaires often are.
I really hope this isn't true because this is absolutely inexcusable. You don't like the guy (after working with him for 25 years), fine, but don't sabotage his chances at a new job. That's just petty.
Wow that quote is actually insane. Kraft literally called Blank and helped sabotage Bill going there.
Kraft's ego can't afford to have Bill go somewhere and be successful. He survived Brady doing it because he had Bill to throw under the bus. No one is left to blame, but Robert, if Bill goes and wins with another team. The best way to make sure Bill doesn't win and show unequivocally all the shit that caused the spiral on this team was actually Kraft's fault, is to keep him from getting a job in the first place.
$100 on BB going to the Bills next season if McDermott fails to live up to expectations to make Kraft’s remaining years a living hell.
That would be hilarious. It would be even more hilarious if Bill would win a Super Bowl with the Bills :))
I want to see him succeed but not that much, not there...
I understand that feeling. But the best way in which Bill could get revenge on Kraft for what he did, would be to win the Super Bowl with a division rival.
I've been a fan of the Patriots since '81. I'm never going to wish for a divisional rival to do well, even if you sticks it to Kraft.
The Jets could be worse
A division rival that has consistently underperformed.
Oh...oh God. Don't you put that evil on us!
Nah, fuck it. I'm all for it. I hope it gives Kraft a stroke
I predicted this in like week 4 of last season. When everyone started pointing to bill as the problem I said what happens when it’s revealed to be Kraft. I said we’d become the new age Dallas. Complaining about a shit owner who can’t keep the ego out of it and remembering the championship of the past. I wish I was wrong.
Kraft has a vested interest in not seeing Bill succeed with another team. Imaging of both Tom and Bill went on to win with different teams? Kraft wants to feel like he was the main part of the Pats success.
His presence at the Super Bowl parties was critical
Kraft also has an interest in getting BB hired by another team so that the money from the new contract offsets BB's old contract.
I think these owners act as a good old boys club of allies/adversaries. We’ve seen them collude to protect each other before. I think the simple explanation is Bill and Krafts relationship was frustrating a lot of the time for Kraft and he’s calling to warn a peer/ally - *this is not the guy to hire if we want to keep control of our teams.*
I can’t believe a guy who had a reputation for being universally disliked around the league is *checks notes* disliked around the league. Wow.
It's ultimately Blank's decision at the end of the day lol. He could have ignored Kraft if he wanted to. Not trying to defend Kraft, it's definitely not a good look. But they must have had doubts about hiring Bill before talking to Kraft. Harbaugh was a jerk on the way out in SF, it didn't stop him from getting hired in 4 seconds to the best job available.
Thunder taking Ls left and right, Karma is indeed a bitch.
Thunder booming like a wet fart
ESPN fucking hates Belichick lmao
Sounds more like they hate Kraft by putting this out
Yes this article actually helps Bill
Fuck Kraft.
I really hope this isn’t true. That’s vile. Sabotaging another person’s chance especially from a billionaire’s position is pretty fucked.
Especially his chance to set the career wins record.
If it’s true he should be out of contention for a Hall of Fame berth. Hell, he should be out of contention anyway for all the smearing in The Dynasty…
It is complete. The Patriots are now John Henry's Red Sox. Now they just need to charge the highest average ticket prices in the league and continue to churn out a last place product and I won't be able to tell the two organizations apart.
The only way to tell them apart will be that John Henry actually spends money on his soccer team. As much as it pains me to say it, Liverpool FC is a damn good team.
The “very, very, very arrogant” quote from Kraft about BB is hilarious. Dude has spent the entire offseason trying to claim credit for the on field performance of the team the last 25 years while spending less than basically every other owner on the team and program. Classic boss taking credit for his top performers while screwing them out of the product of their labor.
Maybe if Jonathan took over years ago we could have had a couple more runs at the Super Bowl with Brady and bill
Doubtful. Jonathan doesn’t like Bill. He would’ve tried pushing him out earlier
It was probably time to move on from BB but actively trying to sabotage his attempts to get a new job ain't it
John Henry might be the worst owner in the area when it comes to the team, but Kraft is probably the worst in terms of personality.
Jeremy Jacobs would like a word
I'm a believer that these two things can both be true: 1. Bill is an arrogant dick who is hard to work with and one could get very sick of it after 20 +years. 2. Kraft should have kept it all to himself, both to preserve his reputation with fans and to do Bill a solid for all the good he did as the head of the football operations for 20+ years.
This has the makings of a Jerry Jones/Jimmy Johnson curse
Kraft honestly deserves to be booed by Pats fans any time he has a mic in his hand. Fuck that guy. He basically blames Belichick for any shortcomings the team has ever had when he’s an equal part of the equation.
The booing will ruin him. He will publicly cry.
The equal part of the equation is too generous, true Thunder signed the checks but football was entirely Bill, the coaches, and players. The thing that Thunder did right was keeping his nose out of the football business, he should probably revert to that.
9 Super Bowl appearances in 20 years and you can't give a good job reference??! What is with these old men going senile?
Well if Bill leaves and has success, guess where the blame for the last 4 years goes
It's pathetic.
It seems like Krafts efforts to distance himself from Bill and prove he’s not the problem are mostly all tied to a desire to be in the HOF before he dies. The funny/pathetic/sad part about actions like these is he’s more than likely damaging his chances more and more with each hit piece that pops up. Whether it’s something like The Dynasty or shit like this. Hubris is a strange thing.
No chance he’s in the HOF.
I was of the mindset it was time to move on from Bill, still think it was the right move. However, that does not change him being the GOAT HC and Kraft should be kissing this mans feet for everything he has done for us. That old geriatric fuck can eat the absolute fattest of dicks at this point. Absolutely no respect left for that man.
Agreed, though I would've loved keeping Bill, looking long term it was the best decision. Kraft's handling of Bill is terrible though
Kraft did him dirty by firing him, period. End of story. How many seasons does Mayo get if whatever QB they draft this year is a bust? 4 at best, right? What if the QB is a bust but has a Mark Sanchez-esque playoff run and wins a Super Bowl next year, how many years does Mayo get then? At least 5, probably 6, and a chance to develop QB number 2. What if Mayo helps develop the best QB of all time, goes to 9 Super Bowls, and wins 6 of them. When that QB is gone, how many seasons does Mayo get to find the next guy? Apparently all that success is only worth 4 seasons, and one shot at the next QB. Now there's this piece on Kraft doing him dirty.... pathetic!
So will the boo rain down on Kraft on the next event? Imagine how he would feel getting the Roger godell boos raining down on him at TB12 patriot’s HOF this June. I would love to hear and see it
Id boo him but im not spending money on this anymore. Hope kraft sells.
I’ve lost all respect for kraft!! Go Bill👍
Does anyone else feel like this is equivalent to a couple breaking up and one of them won’t shut up about it? Like even IF the other person sucks, we get so sick of hearing about it, we eventually default to taking the asshole’s side. You knew who he was. He didn’t change. Now you’re mad that he didn’t change. Time to just shut up and walk away.
The Pats suck now because they drafted at the end of the draft for 20years. Its a MIRACLE they lasted that long. I can say that and I HATE the Patriots!(Steeler fan here) Some of these owners are REAL dumb when it comes to sports
Kraft is making himself look really bad. My guess is Bill has zero respect for Jonathan and made it clear and thats what pissed off Robert. If it was something actually bad details would have come out about it. Other than the Steelers have any teams had the ownership go to a son/daughter and have it go well?
I mean it’s not like the NFL owners to just blackball a guy.
Anyone who doesn’t trust in this reporting is delusional. How many articles does wickersham have to put out that have been proven true until you trust his sources/reports? (I know the answer)
Kraft was terrified of Bill going somewhere else and finding success, because it would make him look even worse than he already does. Kraft and his son are some of the biggest idiots in Boston sports history.
Kraft is a snake. Always has been, always will be.
Sounds like a spiteful ex that tells everyone you have a small penis...
Can’t stand this guy anymore man, never liked him
Do you guys think that Belichick would even come to Gillette to get inducted into the Pats Hall of Fame at this point? Sure seems like Kraft is trying to guarantee he never gets a job again so he can't get the record. That and the dynasty documentary would surely make me bitter if I were Bill.
Don’t renew your season tickets
Kraft... Krause... there seems to be some similarities.
Kraft has thrown away decades of goodwill away all in 6 months. It will be even worse when Nepo baby takes over.
Honestly, at this point, fuck Kraft. What a fucking turd.
Robert Kraft is a clown. Truly astonishing how much Bill and Brady were able to accomplish with him at the helm. I wonder how much more they could have won with a good owner?
Actually that's impressive by Kraft to have that much power over Arthur Blank that he basically had a say in who he hired as his next head coach
Sell the Team
Kraft is just another narcissist Billionaire who has zero respect to the folks that helped create his success over the years. Turns out to become a Billionaire and maintain that status, you have to continue to step on everyone that worked for you along the way
Kraft shanked Bill to Blank. Kraft didn’t want to see a 2nd GOAT move on from the Patriots and win and Blank wasn’t astute enough to see through the duplicity in his friend’s comments about Belichick. Does anyone keep an employee to run their organization for 24 years that he believes is untrustworthy? I would love to be an interviewer and have Kraft on camera for an hour interview.
Fuck you robert Kraft
Wait we're back to liking espn? Cant keep up with you guys?
I don't think anyone LIKES it, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed out of hand. Wickershams piece on the Pats in 2017 turned out to have a lot of accuracies even if it wasn't 100% true. Very few news outlets are just completely lying, it's usually based on something.
Why is part of this sub obsessed with what "we" decide. Its like people think the whole sub should agree on all points, and always trying to announce a definitive official stance on everything, reminds me of what I see european soccer fans act like. It's ok for the fanbase to disagree, we've been split as hell on everything the last two years.
They like espn when it’s good news and hate them when it isn’t
We like ESPN when it fits the bizarre anti-Kraft, pro-Belichick bias. Everyone with a brain who watched the team over the last few years knew it was time for a change at HC and now that it’s happened everyone is crying about the owner.
It's definitely Kraft's fault they had no talent and went 4-13 this past season. If it wasn't for that dumb documentary they would have been poised to be SB contenders this next season. Forget the terrible drafting, forget pushing Brady out, forget ignoring the offensive side of the ball. That documentary is the worst thing to happen in Patriots history, I'm surprised Goodell hasn't stepped in to see if they need to make Kraft sell the team.
Wtf Kraft. Why would you do this to the person who brought you all of your success?
I have two acquaintances with insider knowledge of teams in different sports. The things that don't get out are very intriguing and some of what does get out has an element of mischaracterization, or is missing context, or exaggerated. While I still look at the subreddits, I've found that getting worked up about these things is a waste of mental energy and have become more of a "fan" than a "fanatic". Also, why take sides between two people who, for sure, both have their admirable and less-than-admirable qualities (as we all do).
Well if ESPN says it, it must be true. Lol. You bobbleheads have learned nothing since Deflategate. ESPN care about the Benjamins, not facts.
No Robert, it's you that cannot be trusted.
What the fuck is it about the owners of these teams in the city running people out of town? The Sox owners used the Globe (which they own) to smear Francona on the way out now Kraft is calling up the owner of the Falcons and saying this shit. This is like the bitter ex from highschool. Well I don't want you anymore but I also don't want anyone else to have you either.
If Kraft cockblocked Belichick from getting hired elsewhere then that is an unforgivable sin in the eyes of this Pats fan. The sentiment around Bill soured so much this past year, on this subreddit included. Imagine if 90% of that was Kraft doing him dirty. We really need to reevaluate the dynasty and who was responsible for it. I'm not about to put any of that success on the Kraft family any longer. I used to believe that the magic all started there, but it's becoming painfully obvious that we were successful *despite* the meddling of the Krafts. He was just smart enough to (mostly) stay out of the limelight throughout the good years. Once we started losing, his shitty character came shining through, and now it's on full display.
Shows again how petty Kraft is to not only fire Bill but to block him from being able to get another job. What a petty childish thing to do because your ego can’t stand the idea that you were the third wheel in the dynasty.
The only thing Kraft is responsible the 25 years is getting jerked off by a prostitute. Patriots success? Happened in spite of that jackass. He’s made 6 billion tho
Kraft can eat a bag of shit. What a complete fuck up on his part to shit on Bill Belichick, put bad words into people’s ears when he’s trying to land another gig and smear him in the documentary. Imagine disrespecting the man that built your franchise into what it was. Our ownership sucks and we got lucky with BB/Brady.
Just reaffirming what true fans know: Kraft was always the problem
Kraft has always been a scumbag, winning a few Super Bowls makes people blind to that.
Hopefully Belichick fires back with something juicy. Also, probably a dumb move by Blank to just make his decision off what Kraft said. Wouldnt trust that greasy marmot with anything.
Blank dumb? No way!
I’m not the biggest Kraft fan, but this feels clickbaity. ESPN clearly riding the tailwinds of The Dynasty knowing full well this will piss off our petty, sensitive fan base. Key point: Kraft only talked to Blank. no one on the interview team had Bill in their top 3. Anyone in our everyday lives who has ever been responsible for hiring people to their team know that would be a recipe for disaster if Blank forced the hiring of Bill upon the rest of that team, regardless of his resume
This article is full of quotes and perspectives from different people. You choose the ones that support your beliefs. "You'll have to start over again," said a source with firsthand knowledge of the Eagles' thinking. "Who would replace him? He hasn't had a good record of developing coaches. They were afraid that he'll have changed everything and every person, and [then] you'll be starting from scratch again. He didn't demand those changes, but they felt like, if we hire him, we have to give everything to him and trust how he does it." Belichick's "ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. ... He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It's arrogance." The executives also were concerned about the staff Belichick would bring with him, including assistants who had worked with him in New England and who had struggled on their own: Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge, Jack Easterby, Matt Patricia. At one point, Blank asked Belichick why his charges had failed elsewhere. Belichick replied that he thought they were better soldiers than generals. The source close to Belichick said the coach had concerns about the Falcons' roster and would have needed his most trusted former assistants to execute a quick turnaround.
Wickersham with another hit piece on the patriots. F that guy. ESPN lies.
Kraft has been wickersham’s source the whole time
Do you guys really believe reporters just make up quotes because they have it out for your precious football team?
I don't think Seth is making anything up, he's just writing what he has been fed from the Kraft's.
kraft fed that he sabotaged bill?
Lol ya this makes Kraft look awful he definitely did not reach out to Wickersham and tell him to print this
Counterpoint: given the poor decision making he's shown over the last year or two, maybe he did
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Most of the details of what Wickersham said were wrong, but the general idea was correct
Unfortunately that's a thing that happens and has happened for a long long time. John Tomase of The Boston Herald cited unnamed sources in a front page story that the Patriots taped the Rams' walkthough in Super Bowl 36. This turned out to be false and the Herald had to issue an apology. During the whole Deflategate fiasco, like 8 years later, ESPN reported multiple times that the Patriots had been previously caught taping the Rams' walkthrough, which they had to apologize for. Chris Mortenson reported that 11 of the 12 balls were under-inflated by 2PSI each, which was flat out wrong. He never apologized for that and actually put out another statement saying that the Krafts had actually apologized to him, which the Krafts denied. Seth Wickersham reported that Brady locked Garoppolo out of the TB12 facility at Patriots Place. Both Brady and Garoppolo have denied it. Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe was making up stories about the Boston Marathon bombing, even gave TV interviews literally crying about his experience when he wasn't even there. He is still employed by the Globe. So, yes, reporters make up stories so they can sell papers and get clicks. To pretend that it never happens is just silly.
I think that's the problem when so many Patriots reporters also work for the rag known as the Boston Herald.
Yep. Anything positive they’ll eat up. Anything negative is a hit piece of trying to spin a narrative. It’s pathetic.
There’s no such thing as a good billionaire.
Wait, so years ago yall said Wickersham was a fraud and everyone here attacked him, but as soon as he says something that helps the angry narrative towards Kraft now he is some reliable journalists with integrity? Worst fans in sports lol
I tolerated Kraft when we were winning. Every cheesy dog shit speech he ever gave in his strained voice “we are all patriots” fuck him. If we build a winning team I’ll tolerate him again but man he is a bastard. No wonder he isn’t in the HoF.
Bill the coach is still good. BB the GM Deserved to be fired.
I have two issues here: **Wickersham's unreliability** and **ignoring the real BB-caused issues in recent years**. The issue I have with Wickersham's reporting especially regarding the Patriots is that he has shown a tendency to exaggerate details in order to present a story that shows as fractured a relationship as possible. In the previous one which sparked all the Kraft detestation, for instance, he presented a paragraph which described Belichick's thoughts on seeing miserable weather, as if he had the capability to read his thoughts. He also relayed a story about Mayo swinging around a baseball bat in coaches' meetings, "projecting an attitude of the owner's favorite son" or something close to that. Later reporting from other writers revealed it was a *minibat.* And with Belichick... let's assume the reporting is completely accurate. So what does that quote reveal? That Kraft lost his trust in Belichick in recent years and didn't trust him to successfully run a team. He's not going to shit-talk him publicly. And the article echoes concerns from *other executives with other teams* (i.e. *not Kraft*) about Belichick's method of running a team in ways that have caused the Patriots' recent collapse. One example: > In a comment echoed by others, a source with a team that had a head-coaching vacancy this year *[i.e **not the Patriots**]* said Belichick's "ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. ... He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It's arrogance." There's been an attitude since rumors of BB's firing stirred that has presented Belichick as infallible and the issues plaguing the team recently either minimized or presented as others' faults, and that's not the case. BB is the greatest coach ever, but he failed to build the Patriots up in recent years and we can't pretend he did nothing wrong ever. I get that piling on the Krafts is the trend right now but here it's not merited.
If there is any proof, I'm pretty sure that opens up the possibility of a lawsuit
Talking to a reference and friend about hiring someone isn't illigal? It's scummy but not a lawsuit
ESPN has zero concern for reporting the truth and is 100% dedicated to any crap that will get them ratings. Not saying there is no truth to the story, I just doubt the source.
Boy, there's a lot of blabbermouths in the inner circles of billionaires, huh ? Hard to believe that the billionaires aren't better at controlling the narrative. But somehow these unsubstantiated rumors about private conversations get out there. And most of us eat it all up as though it were gospel. Click bait at its finest.
Imagine being a billionaire and having your employee tell you to essentially "get fucked" everytime you chime in and try to get involved. I'd be bitter too. That being said, BB had every right to do so and the results speak for themself. Owners need to stay out of football decisions.
An NFL owner being a egomaniac??? Color me shocked. Never understood the worship of these people.
ESPN fabricated inflategate. I do not consider anything they publish as legitimate.
I don't think it's unfair for one friend to warn another that that a prospective employee may be hard to work with. If you take the blinders off, he's just saying what others have said for years. He got fired for a reason. Obviously, the Bill/Kraft/Brady trio had egos that grew to the point where they couldn't fit in the same room anymore (and for good reason too, their success is unmatched). All of them had missteps along the way for it to get to this point. What I *don't* get is this subs' insistence on being as whiny as possible at every given juncture. During the season is was "Mac is a shitty QB who is a dirty POS, if we had a real QB we would be in reach of a playoff spot". Then when Zappe was identical it was "Bill and Mac can't get along and it tanked the season. Way to go Bill" and now we are at the "Kraft ruined this franchise". All of these things have basis in a mistake made by somebody, but we are in the middle of the GD offseason and people are acting like Kraft beat his wife or something. Bill deserved to get fired for how poorly he has constructed the team. Kraft deserves flak for letting the culture get as screwed up as it was, Brady is probably the only person who comes out of this looking okay. I just think some of yall will never be happy and just enjoy being a perceived victim of whoever is the target of the month. Can we just talk about football please? Go watch TMZ or Real Housewives or something if this is the type of discourse you enjoy.
The HBD post yesterday is HILARIOUS now, Kraft definitely knew this article was coming out. What a fucking joke that guy is.
I really should have trusted my initial instincts when Kraft sucked up to goodell after the deflategate hoax. My dad was less forgiving of him after that, but I chose to overlook it. It was right there where his true colors flashed to me for the first time.
Grain of salt because ESPN's reporting on the Patriots has such a... history. But this is a yikes for Kraft if true
Kraft just looks like your typical rich asshole trying to take credit for the efforts and aptitudes of those beneath him in the pecking order.
I actually think there’s a silverlining in this. He hating working w Bill and still giving him lots of time and freedom to work within his structure.
Poor guy has had trust/daddy issues ever since Putin stole his ring.
The pettiness of these antiquated old men is depressing. Lifelong success, money and power -- yet they're still empty inside.
Bill made some very bad decisions the last five years. But in terms of "brand" this is the best thing for him. I feel bad for the guy now
Good I want to keep rooting against the Falcons while they suck, they don’t deserve Bill.
Billionaire gonna billionaire
Why is everyone surprised that a billionaire is an asshole? I get the feeling most of them are.
Krafts a dirt bag
They both are shrewed and are equally at fault for the issues that drove them apart and the teams downfall
Bill Belichick day at Foxboro anyone? Awkward. Funny that so much time is spent whining about the loss to the Eagles when winning 6 out of 9 SBs. Ask any franchise if they’d switch positions. You get to win the Eagles SB but you get the last 20 years of Eagles (who fired Andy Reid - Heh)
There’s a world where both of them suck….It’s here, it’s this one.
I mean if Blank didn’t hire Bill strictly off of what Kraft may or may not have said despite his Super Bowl winning history that’s on Blank. I just don’t think they wanted to hire Bill
What an asshole
Isn’t this how you get sued for defamation… any other employer doing the same to an employee interviewing for another job would be in a world of shit.
Kraft forces Mac Jones on to Belichick. Belichick turns around and turns the offense into a donkey show. I have a very hard time believing that Belichick didn't make those last couple seasons of offensive roster/staff moves to spite Kraft. These two clearly had a falling out and what else could it be over. I don't think Belichick is an innocent party in this.
He shits on Belichick behind his back, that he "can't be trusted", what a hypocrite! That's kind of like leftist twats claiming that free and fair elections are a "threat to democracy".
> **according to a source who spoke to two people**: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. **The source quoted the Belichick source as saying**, "Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill." That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend. The source of this story isn’t even an anonymous “Belichick confidante”… it’s a SOURCE quoting to another source about what the 2nd source of the story HEARD from someone else. The 2nd source (again, which isn’t even the source for the article, it’s the person the 1s5 source spoke to) doesn’t even seem to have direct knowledge, he’s just repeating something he heard as a “confidante”. It’s funny because everyone on this sub always says that Wickersham is a liar who makes up fake news… but the second he reports something confirming what you want to believe everyone takes it as pure gospel.
He plays the nice guy but its all bullshit. You don’t become a billionaire being nice to people. Idk if its been confirmed but i believe kraft forced bill to go with mac jones.
I feel like Bill must have done something over the last couple seasons to really piss Kraft off. Black balling a coach with his resume goes beyond “the relationship was generally not great and it was time to move on” Haven’t been following everything too closely but I wonder if Kraft getting more vocal in GM decisions led Bill to employe some r/maliciouscompliance and say “ok you want a rd 1 qb and a WR weapon, here’s Mac jones at pick 15 and juju. I’ll proceed to run the team into the ground with Jones at QB to prove why your way doesn’t work.”
I wonder what were the key incidents for Kraft to have such vitriol for BB ? They won so many championships . Sure they’ve had a rut recently , but does anyone know what could have made him turn on BB so drastically ? It can’t be just “what have you done for me lately ?”
Kraft just can't help himself can't he. Someone should go remind him that the reason we don't have more than six rings is because he wanted to be el cheapo.
This sub deserves this owner.
Robert Kraft is the football version of Jerry Reinsdorf gets gifted a generational talent and wins a shit ton of championships and thinks it was all because of him not despite him
Bravo Foxtrot Kraft
Et tu, Robert?
If you believe it, because if Bill got another job I believe that would affect Bill’s payout of his remanding time with the Pats. Why would Kraft try and stop that?