NFL team owner recalls Vladimir Putin's chilling comment after taking $25,000 Super Bowl ring

Here is the unlikely crossover story between an expensive piece of Super Bowl memorabilia and the President of Russia.

As the owner of the New England Patriots, businessman Robert Kraft is no stranger to success - with his side being six-time winners of the Super Bowl. However, the 83-year-old only has five Super Bowl winning rings to show for six wins.

The other ring is hanging out in Russia, allegedly in the possession of none other than Vladimir Putin. But how did this happen?

Did Vladimir Putin really 'steal' Robert Kraft's Super Bowl ring?

If you're like me, you may have seen this story and wondered 'What on Earth is a Super Bowl ring?'... so let's explain.

Rather than receiving a boring old medal, players on the winning team at the Super Bowl get a gold ring which features their team logo and a hell of a lot of diamonds.

It's estimated the rings can cost around $30,000 (£24,000) to $50,000 (£40,000), because it's America and things can never be done in halves over there.

Now, given the current political climate, the idea of an official NFL memorabilia making the journey east would seem very unlikely these days. However, the US and Russia formerly had better relations during the early to mid 2000s.

It's during this period that Kraft visited Russia alongside a number of business associates. Fresh of the back of winning his third Super Bowl in 2005, Kraft was donning his winners ring for all to see - with the $25,000 (£19,950) piece of jewellery capturing the attention of Putin.

Reports of what happened next has varied over the years, however, Kraft states the interaction went as follows: Putin tries the ring on, gave a chilling assessment of its capabilities and then pocketed the item for good measure.

Recalling the incident in a 2013, Kraft said: "I took out the ring and showed it to [Putin]. And he put it on and he goes, 'I can kill someone with this ring'.

"I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out."

The whereabouts of the ring and its exchange has resurfaced numerous times over the years, with Kraft later being told it was in the best interest of US and Russian relations for the ring to stay in Moscow as a gift.

The businessman even released a statement in 2005 claiming it was a gift to Putin as a 'symbol of the respect and admiration' for the Russian people.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has also weighed in on the subject, offering to purchase Kraft a replacement after his 2013 comments.

The last time Kraft addressed the topic was during Netflix's The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024, where he said: "And one more thing. In case, Vladimir Putin, you're watching, give me my f**king ring back, will you?"