Where the Robert Kraft case goes from here

On Friday, the NFL world shook free of the Antonio Brown drama for a while when the bombshell dropped that Patriots owner Robert Kraft, on the morning of the AFC championship game in January, was arrested and charged with two counts of solicitation at Orchids of Asia, a day spa and massage parlor located in a Jupiter, Fla. strip mall.

According to the police affidavit, in his second trip in less than 24 hours, he wasn’t even there for 15 minutes, but that was enough time to get what he was looking for. And though the document says he initially spent only a few hundred dollars, eventually this visit is going to cost Kraft exponentially more.

It was only about a year ago that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson sold the team after a slew of allegations of workplace misconduct prompted an investigation by team and league officials. Richardson was eventually fined $2.75 million by the NFL, just as David Tepper was set to officially become the owner following a $2.275 billion purchase. That fine was but a pittance for Richardson, who ended up making a tidy $2 billion profit on the franchise he paid $206 million to start in 1993.

Even though walking away with $2 billion to enjoy your golden years doesn’t sound like the worst fate, few are predicting that is what will befall Kraft once the legal process is sorted out and the NFL decides what to do with one of its most prominent owners. There’s speculation that his punishment will likely resemble what happened to Colts owner Jim Irsay after he was arrested for a DUI in 2014: suspended six games and fined $500,000. That amount is also laughably trifling, and while I’m sure it’s not fun for an owner to be barred from team facilities for a month-and-a-half, it’s worth asking of what actual consequence that punishment serves.

The cops say they have video evidence of Kraft receiving sex acts, though there’s little indication at this point that the Patriots owner was aware that the location was involved in sex trafficking. Minus proof on the second score, it’s difficult seeing Kraft land in any kind of lasting damage beyond a reputation hit. He already owns an NFL team worth billions. What does he really need a solid reputation for?

The charges carry a sentence of one year jail time, though it’s unlikely Kraft would serve any of that in lieu of a fine. A court date has been issued for April 24. Kraft doesn’t have to appear and has hired Jack Goldberger of the firm Atterbury, Goldberger & Weiss as representation.

So at this point, Kraft won’t have to make a court appearance. He will likely be absent for the season kickoff game in Foxborough. That means the annual league meeting at the end of March remains the last time he’ll be even semi-publicly available until mid-October, most likely. 

NFL owners are only as public-facing as they want to be. The NFL likely isn’t thrilled with Kraft right now, but it’s in the league's interest to protect him from further humiliation. On Friday, a spokesperson for Kraft issued a statement denying that he engaged in any illegal activity. The Patriots have been in some protracted legal issues the last few years, so we’ll see in the coming weeks whether Kraft wants to go down that road again or more willingly face the consequences.