Patriots' Kraft Heard Blasting Trump Over Kneeling Controversy at 2017 NFL Meeting

Patriots' Kraft Heard Blasting Trump Over Kneeling Controversy at 2017 NFL Meeting

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft blasted President Donald Trump during the 2017 NFL Summit when talking about players kneeling during the national anthem, according to audio obtained by TMZ.

Listen to the Audio Below

“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," said Kraft. 

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"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," said Kraft. "And, it’s actually the opposite of what you all are trying to do."

According to TMZ, the meeting took place in October of 2017 and featured about 30 people, including owners, players, and league executives.

Kraft and Trump

Kraft’s comment comes as a surprise given his history with President Trump.

Kraft and Trump are close friends, often hanging out at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

In January of 2017, Kraft attended Trump’s candlelight dinner at Union Station the night before he was inaugurated as President.

The dinner was also just days before the Patriots would host, and beat, the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

When the charges of prostitution came out against Kraft earlier this year, Trump said, “Well, it’s very sad. I’m very surprised to see it, he has proclaimed his innocence totally, but I’m very surprised to see it."

That legal case is still ongoing.