Patriots Owner Robert Kraft discussed the team's
"stadium struggle" with Meg Vaillancourt of the BOSTON GLOBE
and said the approval of a plan in Foxboro ended "a long
journey that ended up back where we began. But it's where
the Patriots should be." Kraft said that he "purposely kept
a low profile" during the most recent stadium debate: "I've
learned that when I get involved it changes the dynamic so
it becomes more a personality issue rather that a
substantive one." Kraft and his son, Patriots Exec VP
Jonathan, "readily acknowledged that over the past five
years they stumbled badly as they struggled to find a new
home for the Patriots." Kraft added he feels "badly" about
terminating the team's move to Hartford: "The governor of
Connecticut and the Legislature made herculean efforts for
us. ... But it just couldn't be done on schedule." Kraft
dismissed threats of potential suits filed against him and
the team: "I can look you or anyone else in the eye and say
we did nothing improper." Kraft added that he did not want
to sell the team or move it out of New England: "While there
were plenty of very, very lucrative offers to move the team
to L.A. and a few other cities, I had a personal commitment
to keep the team in New England. I knew I would never move
the team out of this area" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/13).
