Leaked audio confirms Robert Kraft made surprisingly critical comments on Donald Trump at 2017 NFL summit
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
In new leaked audio from the NFL summit in 2017, Robert Kraft makes pointed comments regarding President Donald Trump and his controversial rhetoric toward NFL players who were kneeling during the national anthem.
Listen below for the audio, via TMZ Sports. Kraft’s comments are already publicly known, via the New York Times in a story from April 2018. But TMZ has obtained the actual audio proof.
The comments are apparently from the NFL summit in Oct. 2017, which came about a month after Trump said to his supporters during a presidential rally: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!'”
On those comments, Kraft says in the leaked audio during a speech at the summit: “I must tell you, I think these dialogues are great. But the elephant in the room now, in my opinion, is this kneeling, which every player has a right to do if they feel it’s right. The problem we have is, we have a president that will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interest of the matter. It’s divisive and it’s horrible. And, it’s actually the opposite of what you all are trying to do.”
Publicly, Kraft and Trump are known as longtime friends and the Patriots owner has supported the president in the past. He’s also said publicly that he was “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s tone in the comments he made on kneeling players, but also said in February that President Trump is “working very hard to serve the best interests of the country.”
Makes it a little more interesting to actually hear Kraft make the comments that the New York Times reported. Trump, meanwhile, hasn’t tweeted about “Bob Kraft” since Congratulations to Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the entire New England Patriots team on a great game and season. Will be a fantastic Super Bowl!
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
