ROBERT KRAFT is finishing his 23rd season as Patriots Owner, and under his watch the team is in the Super Bowl for the eighth time, meaning he has "reached the country's biggest sporting event" more than 33% of the time. The Patriots have had a "storybook run of success under Kraft, and reaching the Super Bowl always puts some pep in his 75-year-old steps." Kraft's Patriots have "pretty much accomplished it all." He "still lobs a few barbs" toward Commissioner ROGER GOODELL and "blames his fellow owners for escalating Deflategate to the heights it reached." But the "battle is winding down." Kraft: "It’s sort of been a peaceful year. Jealousy and anger are incurable diseases, but that’s the way of the world. And we try to take it and turn it into something that’s an advantage" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/3). Meanwhile, Maine Gov. PAUL LEPAGE "won’t be rooting" for the Patriots on Sunday. LePage said he has a "real hard time" getting over what Kraft "did to the state of Connecticut" in the late '90s, when the team almost moved to Hartford (BANGOR DAILY NEWS, 2/3).
QUESTION EVERYONE'S ASKING: Asked if she would try to include a unifying message with her halftime show, LADY GAGA said that her performance will "fall in line with the philosophies of inclusion and equality that she has championed throughout her career." Gaga: "The only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I have been consistently making throughout my career. I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality. And the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness. So my performance will uphold those philosophies" (ESPN.com, 2/2). She “declined to confirm earlier reports that she’ll be performing while suspended from the roof of NRG Stadium” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/3). Meanwhile, LUKE BRYAN will be the first man to “perform the National Anthem at a Super Bowl” since BILLY JOEL at Super Bowl XLI. Bryan said, "It’ll be certainly a highlight of my career” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/3).
FLY BOYS: The Falcons’ sidelines this season have been “overflowing with rappers, actors and athletes from other sports” including T.I., USHER, FUTURE, JEEZY, BOW WOW and GUCCI MANE. One of the most notable supporters of the team is SAMUEL L. JACKSON, who “created a commercial” in ’14 for the team. Singer-producer THE-DREAM’s “basement is filled with Falcons paraphernalia from flags, jerseys and a helmet” from Pro Football HOFer DEION SANDERS (AP, 2/3).
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY: TBS’s CONAN O’BRIEN continued his “tradition of playing video games with a player from each team in a Super Bowl and having them play each other. Fox’ ERIN ANDREWS provided “sideline” coverage and said, “I've covered a lot of exciting sporting events, and I can say without a doubt this is not one of them.” The first round featured O’Brien playing Patriots QB TOM BRADY, with O’Brien saying, “I’m going to be honest, I’m shitting my pants right now.” He said, “The question on everyone's lips: Does BILL BELICHICK know that you’re doing this right now?” Brady: “Absolutely not.” O’Brien added, “I think he's going to show up at any minute like an angry dad and start yelling.” Falcons DE DWIGHT FREENEY later joined O’Brien and Brady, with Freeney stating he does “absolutely not” owe Brady an apology for the times he sacked him (“Conan,” TBS, 2/2).
