NFL

Here's What Robert Kraft Was Doing When Prostitution Charges Were Announced

New details in the Robert Kraft case have emerged.

In a New York Times article published on Monday, Kraft reportedly had plans to play golf with Al Michaels, the longtime host of "Sunday Night Football" at the Bel-Air Country Club, and also started the day at Nate and Al's, a Beverly Hills delicatessen where he occasionally dines with friends, including Larry King and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.

The article is titled "Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Faces Biggest Test of His Power" and was written in part by Mark Leibovich, author of "Big Game," which gives a significant behind the scenes look at the NFL, its owners, and the league office.

Kraft's golfing plans with Michaels changed quickly however, after the news broke that police in Florida were charging the billionaire with two counts of soliciting a prostitute at a massage parlor in Jupiter, Florida.

In the story, Kraft is depicted as the powerful and influential NFL owner that he is.

While that is not news to anyone, the article details how the reckoning that Kraft stands to face certainly is:

"In ownership circles, Kraft is known to act as a kind of shadow commissioner, forming close relationships with sponsors, vendors, media companies and even the N.F.L. Players Association, and pursuing back-channel communications that can sometimes circumvent his fellow owners and league officials. His influence, though, has limits. Many owners tolerate Kraft's freelancing because he gets results and tries to keep other owners in the loop. But their tolerance runs thin when his team is accused of wrongdoing, as happened in the Spygate scandal and in [Deflategate]."

Apparently, most of the NFL owners interviewed for the article extended Kraft the courtesty of refusing to comment on the case, as they regard it as a "personal matter."

The person that will likely not dismiss the situation as merely a personal matter is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is expected address the situation as Kraft's legal matter plays out.

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