There was a whole big ado about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his relationship with President Donald Trump. It started when Trump was the Republican nominee for president this past fall and continued over to New England visiting the new president at the White House to celebrate its most-recent championship.
For the most part, Kraft and quarterback Tom Brady have remained somewhat tight-lipped about their personal relationship with the president. And really, that’s their prerogative. Individuals have a right to befriend who they see fit in their personal lives. No matter our political leanings, it really isn’t any of our business.
Interestingly enough, Kraft decided to open up about his relationship with the president and what Mr. Trump means to him on a personal level. He did so with Bloomberg Business Week’s Megan Murphy during the company’s Breakaway Summitt.
Here are some of Kraft’s relevant remarks, as transcribed by Diamond Leung of SportTechie.
“He (Trump) called me once a week for a year,” Kraft said in talking about after his wife passed away. “There were five or six people who were great to me and he was one of them. Loyalty and friendship trumps politics for me. I always remember the people who were good to me in my most vulnerable time.”
Kraft then went on to talk about the nuances of Trump’s first 100-plus days in office, a presidency that up to now has been extremely divisive.
Kraft on Trump: "I know he does things or says things that sometimes..he doesn't mean everything he says. I'm privileged to know that."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) May 3, 2017
Robert Kraft on Donald Trump: "People who don't know him maybe don't see the better side, but I'll tell you one thing. Very hardworking."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) May 3, 2017
Surely, some will question those comments. Such is the nature of the beast in the political reality we see today. But Kraft’s broader point really shouldn’t be subject to debate here. Supporting a personal friend professionally isn’t something that most of us avoid. It’s what goes along with life-long friendships.
If Trump was around during one of the hardest times of Kraft’s life, why would we expect Kraft to abandon him now?
It is, however, interesting that Kraft would be so candid about his relationship after spending so many months on the sidelines. Then again, it’s his prerogative.
Kraft seemingly also made sure not to confuse his friendship and support of Trump with the president’s own politics.
“You get people together of different backgrounds and ways of thinking and mold them with their strengths,” Kraft said about healing the nation’s divide.
We have to give the Patriots’ owner credit for putting himself out there in the face of a sports landscape that has not taken too kindly to his relationship with Trump.
In turn, maybe it’s time for all of us to move past this and let the man be friends with whoever he wants to be friends with. The same can be said for Mr. Brady himself.