Kraft sucks up some more publicity - The Orange Mane

Bronx33 · 01-15-2008, 10:21 PM

Patriots to honor young fan booed in Indianapolis

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) Patriots owner Robert Kraft sat behind his wide desk and marveled at how his team's jersey could be the target of so many boos even when it's worn by a 14-year-old girl.

This wasn't Randy Moss or Rodney Harrison hearing the catcalls. They're used to it.

This was Anna Grant, a high school freshman who had worked hard to win the Punt, Pass & Kick competition in her age group as the team's representative.

When she was introduced along with the other winners before the fourth quarter of San Diego's playoff win last Sunday, she was the only one booed by the crowd in Indianapolis, home of New England's fiercest rival.

''Why should a champion be booed?'' the boss of the three-time Super Bowl winners said Tuesday. ''She won an intensive competition. She's supposed to be honored.''

His team is getting the same reaction not because of the spying incident in the season opener but because fans like to see teams at the top get knocked off, he said. If the Chargers can't do it Sunday, New England will be headed to its fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons.

But first comes the coin flip before the AFC championship and Grant will be out on the field for that, invited by Kraft, who felt badly that she had been booed.

''What I decided is that we would honor her here before this game,'' Kraft said in an interview in his office filled with photos, footballs and other memorabilia. ''We will recognize her as the winner on the field. Our fans will know.''

Grant returned from school Tuesday and heard a phone message from Andre Tippett, the Patriots' executive director of community affairs and a former star linebacker.

She called back and was ecstatic when Tippett extended the invitation plus tickets for her, her parents and two brothers to take part.

''I was just in shock,'' she said.

Kraft knows the hoots were not directed at the high school freshman from Stratham, N.H., about 20 miles north of the Massachusetts border. It's just that the jersey provokes an instant response, usually a negative one.

Grant also understands, and even smiled when she heard the boos.

''Before I went down there, my friends said, 'You know, you'll probably get booed,''' she said in a telephone interview. ''I was kind of waiting for it.

''It really didn't bother me at all,'' she added. ''People at the game came up to me afterward and said, 'It's not you. It's your jersey.'''

It wasn't always that way.

When Adam Vinatieri's last-play field goal gave the Patriots their first championship as huge underdogs to the St. Louis Rams after the 2001 season, red, white and blue confetti not boos poured down in the Louisiana Superdome.

It came less than five months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

''I remember saying when I hoisted the (championship) trophy, 'We are all Patriots and tonight the Patriots are world champions,''' Kraft said. ''We were the underdogs. No one expected (it). Now what's happened is, we've had a modicum of success.

''I noticed it with the second title that we went after. Already people had switched and I think people outside of New England want to see different (winners). It's sort of like the Yankees. There was a resentment, but a respect for the Yankees.''

The Yankees have declined since their dominance of the late 90s. The Patriots are better than ever, perhaps the best team in NFL history.

''Jealousy and envy comes in the more you win and people say, 'Give someone else a chance and let someone else do it,''' Kraft said. ''I understand that.''

It's better than the alternative.

Before he bought the team in January 1994, the Patriots had missed the playoffs for the previous seven seasons. In just his third year, they were in the Super Bowl losing to Green Bay in the same building where they would win their first title five years later.

At least fans care now, even if they boo.

''I see it as sort of respect in a way,'' Kraft said. ''I think 15 years ago, 18 years ago, someone could have worn our jersey and I just think there would have been no reaction.''

Grant plans to wear some Patriots apparel again Sunday, probably a hat. The reaction will be much warmer.

''In a way, the fact that this young lady was booed is a compliment to the New England Patriots fans because we're relevant,'' Kraft said. ''And, we're good.''

Inkana7 · 01-15-2008, 10:41 PM

Because, as we all know, someone wearing a Colts Jersey in Gillette Stadium would be cheered, not booed, right?

Give me a break. That girl would get death threats from the current crop of Pats fans.

PRBronco · 01-15-2008, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkana7

Because, as we all know, someone wearing a Colts Jersey in Gillette Stadium would be cheered, not booed, right?

Give me a break. That girl would get death threats from the current crop of Pats fans.

She'd also get videotaped. Oh snap, oh I went there. Haha anyways, it was fine, she looked like she was laughing it off, freakin Kraft. Him and his stupid blue shirts with white collars, i hate that!

worm · 01-15-2008, 10:59 PM

nice gesture.

ColoradoDarin · 01-15-2008, 11:03 PM

It's not the team I hate, it's the 98% douchebags that call themselves Patriot fans that give the other 2% a bad name.

cutler_to_marshall · 01-16-2008, 12:23 AM

I think its a nice gesture by the Pats owner... still hate the team to no limits but its a kind thing to do by their owner.

iforgotmypassword · 01-16-2008, 01:12 AM

nothins wrong with this guys.... gimme a break he's just bein a nice old rich guy, thats pretty rare. props to kraft

cq1 · 01-16-2008, 03:44 AM

It's Bill Simmons.

PatsWin2002 · 01-16-2008, 04:00 AM

Another great move by a great owner.

fontaine · 01-16-2008, 04:17 AM

Nice move by Kraft.

Maybe the Colts staff piped in the boos?

El Guapo · 01-16-2008, 09:07 AM

I saw it when it happened and laughed...

Beantown Bronco · 01-16-2008, 09:32 AM

What I found comical was the fact that one of the other kids that was a few people down the line was wearing a SD jersey, yet wasn't booed when announced. And they were the freaking Colts' opponent at the time. Now that's funny.

PatsWin2002 · 01-16-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fontaine

Nice move by Kraft.

Maybe the Colts staff piped in the boos?

I posted that on the Indy board right when it happened.

DomCasual · 01-16-2008, 11:11 AM

I felt bad watching it. I thought it represented the people of Indianapolis in a really negative light.

They should have thrown batteries.

Pansies.

I kid.

Phantom · 01-16-2008, 12:10 PM

She's a bandwagon fan.

bronco militia · 01-16-2008, 12:16 PM

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

cry me a river, pats fans!

Doggcow · 01-16-2008, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantom

She's a bandwagon fan.

She'll be back to cheering for SD in no time when the patsies go down

38yrsfan · 01-16-2008, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantom

She's a bandwagon fan.

With a personal phone call, apology and tickets to the game, probably not anymore if she was before. Lesser gestures than that have instilled loyalty in adults let alone a kid.

Beantown Bronco · 01-16-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 38yrsfan

With a personal phone call, apology and tickets to the game, probably not anymore if she was before. Lesser gestures than that have instilled loyalty in adults let alone a kid.

Her family should scalp the tickets. That would be pretty funny.

Doggcow · 01-16-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

Her family should scalp the tickets. That would be pretty funny.

38yrsfan · 01-16-2008, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

Her family should scalp the tickets. That would be pretty funny.

That really would make a lot of people smile ...... probably should check Ebay to see .........

Jason in LA · 01-16-2008, 04:55 PM

I agree that Kraft is just trying to get some pub. This girl wasn't done wrong. It was all in fun. When I saw the jersey I knew the boos were coming. I was kind of surprised that she wasn't booed more. I think the Colts fans let her off the hook with a mild boo. It's not like when Beyonce got booed by an entire for her entire performance by Phily crowd for wearing a Lakers jersey. Or when Jessica Simpson was booed off the stage during the NBA All Star break (I think that's when it happened). The girl wearing the Pats jersey even got a good laugh out of it. She smiled when they started booing. I don't think there is any need to make the situation right, so Kraft is pretty much trying to get some pub.

worm · 01-16-2008, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason in LA

I agree that Kraft is just trying to get some pub. This girl wasn't done wrong. It was all in fun. When I saw the jersey I knew the boos were coming. I was kind of surprised that she wasn't booed more. I think the Colts fans let her off the hook with a mild boo. It's not like when Beyonce got booed by an entire for her entire performance by Phily crowd for wearing a Lakers jersey. Or when Jessica Simpson was booed off the stage during the NBA All Star break (I think that's when it happened). The girl wearing the Pats jersey even got a good laugh out of it. She smiled when they started booing. I don't think there is any need to make the situation right, so Kraft is pretty much trying to get some pub.

Was Beyonce or Simpson 14?

This was a 14 year old girl who did nothing but excel against her competitors.

Maybe, just maybe, Kraft just wanted her to have a better experience for her accomplishments.

I am not a Patriot fans, fan. They are mostly all Mas-holes. (heard that term coined on the radio today)....but I see this as just a nice thing to do for somebody who earned some accolades. She will get them and a lot more at the coin toss this week.

Kraft doing this to just get some pub?

PatsWin2002 · 01-16-2008, 05:18 PM

Worm, you didn't drink the haterade did you?

BTW, the term "Ma-holes" has been around for a LONG time. Go to Maine/NH/Vermont sometime and listen!

worm · 01-16-2008, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatsWin2002

Worm, you didn't drink the haterade did you?

BTW, the term "Ma-holes" has been around for a LONG time. Go to Maine/NH/Vermont sometime and listen!

Funny term. I approve of it.

The fact that it has been around a long time is telling, huh?

As a Pats fan....you are like the kid in class that blew the curve for everybody else.

01-15-2008, 10:21 PM	#1
Bronx33 lets go partner Rumpson Rocks Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Lakewood,Colo Posts: 41,221 Adopt-a-Bronco: Woodyard	Kraft sucks up some more publicity Patriots to honor young fan booed in Indianapolis FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) Patriots owner Robert Kraft sat behind his wide desk and marveled at how his team's jersey could be the target of so many boos even when it's worn by a 14-year-old girl. This wasn't Randy Moss or Rodney Harrison hearing the catcalls. They're used to it. This was Anna Grant, a high school freshman who had worked hard to win the Punt, Pass & Kick competition in her age group as the team's representative. When she was introduced along with the other winners before the fourth quarter of San Diego's playoff win last Sunday, she was the only one booed by the crowd in Indianapolis, home of New England's fiercest rival. ''Why should a champion be booed?'' the boss of the three-time Super Bowl winners said Tuesday. ''She won an intensive competition. She's supposed to be honored.'' His team is getting the same reaction not because of the spying incident in the season opener but because fans like to see teams at the top get knocked off, he said. If the Chargers can't do it Sunday, New England will be headed to its fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons. But first comes the coin flip before the AFC championship and Grant will be out on the field for that, invited by Kraft, who felt badly that she had been booed. ''What I decided is that we would honor her here before this game,'' Kraft said in an interview in his office filled with photos, footballs and other memorabilia. ''We will recognize her as the winner on the field. Our fans will know.'' Grant returned from school Tuesday and heard a phone message from Andre Tippett, the Patriots' executive director of community affairs and a former star linebacker. She called back and was ecstatic when Tippett extended the invitation plus tickets for her, her parents and two brothers to take part. ''I was just in shock,'' she said. Kraft knows the hoots were not directed at the high school freshman from Stratham, N.H., about 20 miles north of the Massachusetts border. It's just that the jersey provokes an instant response, usually a negative one. Grant also understands, and even smiled when she heard the boos. ''Before I went down there, my friends said, 'You know, you'll probably get booed,''' she said in a telephone interview. ''I was kind of waiting for it. ''It really didn't bother me at all,'' she added. ''People at the game came up to me afterward and said, 'It's not you. It's your jersey.''' It wasn't always that way. When Adam Vinatieri's last-play field goal gave the Patriots their first championship as huge underdogs to the St. Louis Rams after the 2001 season, red, white and blue confetti not boos poured down in the Louisiana Superdome. It came less than five months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ''I remember saying when I hoisted the (championship) trophy, 'We are all Patriots and tonight the Patriots are world champions,''' Kraft said. ''We were the underdogs. No one expected (it). Now what's happened is, we've had a modicum of success. ''I noticed it with the second title that we went after. Already people had switched and I think people outside of New England want to see different (winners). It's sort of like the Yankees. There was a resentment, but a respect for the Yankees.'' The Yankees have declined since their dominance of the late 90s. The Patriots are better than ever, perhaps the best team in NFL history. ''Jealousy and envy comes in the more you win and people say, 'Give someone else a chance and let someone else do it,''' Kraft said. ''I understand that.'' It's better than the alternative. Before he bought the team in January 1994, the Patriots had missed the playoffs for the previous seven seasons. In just his third year, they were in the Super Bowl losing to Green Bay in the same building where they would win their first title five years later. At least fans care now, even if they boo. ''I see it as sort of respect in a way,'' Kraft said. ''I think 15 years ago, 18 years ago, someone could have worn our jersey and I just think there would have been no reaction.'' Grant plans to wear some Patriots apparel again Sunday, probably a hat. The reaction will be much warmer. ''In a way, the fact that this young lady was booed is a compliment to the New England Patriots fans because we're relevant,'' Kraft said. ''And, we're good.''

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01-15-2008, 10:41 PM	#2
Inkana7 Ring of Famer Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 8,230 Adopt-a-Bronco: Derek Wolfe	Because, as we all know, someone wearing a Colts Jersey in Gillette Stadium would be cheered, not booed, right? Give me a break. That girl would get death threats from the current crop of Pats fans.

01-15-2008, 10:59 PM	#4
worm Great moments are born... ...from great opportunity Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3,947 Adopt-a-Bronco: #20	nice gesture.

01-15-2008, 11:03 PM	#5
ColoradoDarin Ring of Famer AFCW Champs! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 5,523 Adopt-a-Bronco: Knowshon's Shoe	It's not the team I hate, it's the 98% douchebags that call themselves Patriot fans that give the other 2% a bad name.

01-16-2008, 12:23 AM	#6
cutler_to_marshall Seasoned Veteran New to the Forum Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 262 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	I think its a nice gesture by the Pats owner... still hate the team to no limits but its a kind thing to do by their owner.

01-16-2008, 01:12 AM	#7
iforgotmypassword Pro Bowler Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 632	nothins wrong with this guys.... gimme a break he's just bein a nice old rich guy, thats pretty rare. props to kraft

01-16-2008, 03:44 AM	#8
cq1 Just Drafted Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 15	It's Bill Simmons.

01-16-2008, 04:00 AM	#9
PatsWin2002 Giggity Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: South of Boston Posts: 6,270	Another great move by a great owner.

01-16-2008, 04:17 AM	#10
fontaine Ring of Famer Go John Manning! Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 12,422	Nice move by Kraft. Maybe the Colts staff piped in the boos?

01-16-2008, 09:07 AM	#11
El Guapo aka mav_7. who? Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: VA (heart is in TX) Posts: 3,444	I saw it when it happened and laughed...

01-16-2008, 09:32 AM	#12
Beantown Bronco Athletic Supporter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mass Posts: 19,040 Adopt-a-Bronco: Matt Prater	What I found comical was the fact that one of the other kids that was a few people down the line was wearing a SD jersey, yet wasn't booed when announced. And they were the freaking Colts' opponent at the time. Now that's funny.

01-16-2008, 11:11 AM	#14
DomCasual The Dude abides. Shameless Homer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cocytus Posts: 13,167 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gus Frerotte	I felt bad watching it. I thought it represented the people of Indianapolis in a really negative light. They should have thrown batteries. Pansies. I kid.

01-16-2008, 12:10 PM	#15
Phantom Ring of Famer Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 1,179	She's a bandwagon fan.

01-16-2008, 12:16 PM	#16
bronco militia Ring of Famer THE GREATEST Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: colorado springs, co Posts: 22,584	BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! cry me a river, pats fans!

01-16-2008, 04:55 PM	#22
Jason in LA Gimmie that rep fool! Speaking of Butts & Boob Mojo Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: LA Posts: 12,252	I agree that Kraft is just trying to get some pub. This girl wasn't done wrong. It was all in fun. When I saw the jersey I knew the boos were coming. I was kind of surprised that she wasn't booed more. I think the Colts fans let her off the hook with a mild boo. It's not like when Beyonce got booed by an entire for her entire performance by Phily crowd for wearing a Lakers jersey. Or when Jessica Simpson was booed off the stage during the NBA All Star break (I think that's when it happened). The girl wearing the Pats jersey even got a good laugh out of it. She smiled when they started booing. I don't think there is any need to make the situation right, so Kraft is pretty much trying to get some pub.

01-16-2008, 05:18 PM	#24
PatsWin2002 Giggity Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: South of Boston Posts: 6,270	Worm, you didn't drink the haterade did you? BTW, the term "Ma-holes" has been around for a LONG time. Go to Maine/NH/Vermont sometime and listen!