My Favorite Cigar
Robert Kraft • Owner, New England Patriots • Montecristo No. 2
In the time-honored, cigar-friendly tradition of former Celtics Hall of Fame boss Red Auerbach, Patriots owner Robert Kraft passed out Padrón victory cigars following his sixth Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. The peerless stewardship of Kraft and son Jonathan stands as the gold standard of the free-agency era, when dynasties were supposed to go the way of the dinosaur.
It is no wonder why none other than Brady himself championed Robert Kraft for Hall of Fame enshrinement. “In my mind, this is a no-brainer. I want this bad for him because he deserves it,” Brady says.
Kraft, who says his current favorite is the Montecristo No. 2, deserves it for his role as a respected power broker who’s been instrumental in helping negotiate the NFL’s television contracts and the 2011 collective bargaining agreement that ended the lockout. He deserves it for donating hundreds of millions for philanthropic causes. Of course, there’s the run of excellence. Prior to him buying the team in 1994, the Patriots struggled. Now, their six Super Bowl wins are tied for most of all time.
The Patriots may have fallen on hard times since Brady left, but know this about Robert Kraft: Close but no cigar is not good enough.
