Patriots owner Robert Kraft made an impassioned speech on the issue of domestic abuse and violence against women at the United Nations Friday, where he promised to use his influence to ensure that the NFL “continues to use its resources to educate and affect change.”
Fresh off the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title last month, Kraft was honored by the UN Women for Peace Association in recognition for Kraft’s many philanthropic efforts to raise awareness about what he called “an ongoing and insidious societal crisis.”
The NFL garnered plenty of negative headlines this past year due to several high-profile cases of domestic violence and abuse, including the Ray Rice case and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s poor handling of it. But Kraft said the NFL was now poised to make a positive impact with regard to those issues.
“Last year the actions of a few NFL players proved to be the catalyst for the national attention for the topic of domestic violence,” said Kraft. “But the media coverage and the national discussion helped raise awareness to an ongoing and insidious societal crisis. Clearly the actions of a few NFL players were horrific. But from these actions came a series of positive steps to help impact a societal change in a way that I believe few other institutions can do.”
Kraft told the audience how nearly a decade ago, the Patriots drafted Nebraska defensive tackle Christian Peter, who had a troubled past that included accusations of rape. Kraft said that once he learned about Peter’s off-field “transgressions,” he realized the team “had made a big mistake” in drafting Peter, even though he plugged a gaping hole in the Patriots’ defense.
His late wife Myra and he had worked with a non-profit called The R.O.S.E Fund – which helps transform the lives of domestic violence survivors – during that same period and the experience helped Kraft make a bold move.
“We cut this player before he set place in our building,” said Kraft, “something that no other owner in the NFL’s 95-year history had ever done.”
Before the awards luncheon began, Kraft told the Daily News that he is still riding a Super Bowl high with no residual effects of DeflateGate.
“Oh absolutely. Think about it, you have a 3% chance of getting (to the Super Bowl). When it does happen, you better enjoy it because it might never happen again,” said Kraft.
As for the NFL’s ongoing investigation into the DeflateGate issue, Kraft said, “we’re letting the league handle that.
“We’re privileged to have won the Super Bowl,” added Kraft. “The air pressure on footballs is not something we’re concerned about.”
