Robert Kraft

FOXBOROUGH - Next Sunday, amid all the Super Bowl pomp and ceremony, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork will share a pregame ritual with owner Robert Kraft. Two kisses. One on each cheek. For the super-sized player and the owner, it will be an emotional moment very different from all that will follow on the field. "I used to give Myra Kraft a kiss before every game," said Wilfork. "Now, he gets two kisses - one for him and one for Mrs. Kraft. I always do it, before every game.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft reiterated on Tuesday that he wants to reach a long-term contract with Wes Welker. But getting to that point requires sacrifice from both sides, he noted in comments to the NFL Network at the league's spring meetings in Atlanta. "Well, we'd like to see him be a Patriot for life, but it takes two sides," Kraft said. "We're just happy he's back in the system. He's a wonderful young man, and a special guy. I think both sides would like to do a deal, but it requires intelligence and putting our team first.

WHEN INDIANAPOLIS COLTS CENTER JEFF SATURDAY hugged Patriots owner Robert Kraft (above), the pair provided an unexpected yet perfect image of National Football League labor peace after a 136-day lockout. Saturday credited Kraft with helping "save football. " The embrace broadcast around the sports world also honored the sacrifices Kraft made, negotiating a deal while his wife, Myra, was dying of cancer. The big hug and the final deal came on July 25, 2011, five days after her death.

Two weeks before Robert Kraft abandoned a plan to build a casino in Foxborough, the Kraft Group paid $1.18 million for a parcel of land adjacent to the Route 1 site where the casino would have been built. The Kraft Group's purchase of the 4.9-acre plot of land, located just across the town line in Walpole, caught local officials by surprise when it was disclosed this week. They speculated that the additional land would make the Kraft Group's holdings around Gillette Stadium more attractive for development.

Anyone else notice that Robert Kraft and Aerosmith screamer Steven Tyler are becoming BFFs? After having Tyler sing the national anthem at the AFC Championship game at Gillette, the Pats owner then hosted the flamboyant frontman in his box at the Super Bowl in Indy. The dynamic duo hung out again over the weekend, this time at Elton John's annual Academy Awards bash.

With the NFL having just resolved the labor dispute that hung over it for months by putting in place a new, decade-long collective-bargaining agreement, Robert Kraft's skill as a leader and a negotiator has been one of the more compelling storylines to emerge out of the talks. The New England Patriots owner's involvement is all the more remarkable because he just lost his wife of 48 years, Myra. It's not surprising that other owners would laud Kraft's leadership and involvement in the negotiations - they're on his "team," after all. What's more telling, especially given the recent animosity...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, fighting back tears, read a note that Junior Seau sent him last year, a few weeks after Myra Kraft passed away. Kraft met with the media at Gillette Stadium Thursday, sharing his memories on the former Patriots linebacker, who died yesterday of an apparent suicide. "Junior was one of those special people who came through our locker room," Kraft said. "We always knew his real family, he was really a Charger. Even when he was here we knew in the end he would be a Charger; but we were pretty close first cousins, because the years he spent here we felt...

Robert Kraft was the featured speaker at Thursday's Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay event. The Pats owner, who was presented an award by BBBS CEO Wendy Foster , at one point sat down for a fireside chat - OK, it was an LED fire - with former Bruins defenseman Gord Kluzak . The evening's other honoree was Putnam Investments CEO Bob Reynolds , who received the John B. Pearson Excellence in Mentoring Award. These are busy days for Kraft. This weekend, he'll be at the Brandeis commencement accepting an honorary degree on behalf of his late wife, ...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, fighting back tears, read a note that Junior Seau sent him last year, a few weeks after Myra Kraft passed away. Kraft met with the media at Gillette Stadium today, sharing his memories on the former Patriots linebacker, who died yesterday of an apparent suicide. "Junior was one of those special people who came through our locker room," Kraft said. "We always knew his real family, he was really a Charger. Even when he was here we knew in the end he would be a Charger; but we were pretty close first cousins, because the years he...

Pats owner Robert Kraft and receiver Wes Welker met yesterday with 12-year-old Nick Redmond, a cancer patient from Granby. Nick, whose favorite player is Welker, got a tour of Gillette Stadium, an MHK pin in honor of Myra Kraft, and a seat at Bill Belichick's press conference. . . . Amy Brenneman was spied boarding an American Airlines flight back to LA the other day. The "Judging Amy" actress was presumably in town over the holidays to see her mom, Judge Frederica Brenneman, a member of the first Harvard Law School class to admit women.

Robert Kraft was the featured speaker at Thursday's Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay event. The Pats owner, who was presented an award by BBBS CEO Wendy Foster , at one point sat down for a fireside chat - OK, it was an LED fire - with former Bruins defenseman Gord Kluzak . The evening's other honoree was Putnam Investments CEO Bob Reynolds , who received the John B. Pearson Excellence in Mentoring Award. These are busy days for Kraft. This weekend, he'll be at the Brandeis commencement accepting an honorary degree on behalf of his late wife, Myra , who was a...

Patriots owner Robert Kraft , player Danny Woodhead , and Raytheon CEO William Swanson were judges at Sunday's "Science of Sports" fair at Gillette Stadium. The event gave students from area Boys & Girls Clubs the chance to share the science projects they've been working on for months… . Young Cambridge dancer Caroline Workman , who has been performing in "Billy Elliot" on Broadway, talked shop with performer Doug Jabara at his recent benefit concert at the Wheelock Family Theatre.

FOXBOROUGH - As news of Junior Seau's death continued to cast a dark shadow over offseason workouts at Gillette Stadium Thursday, several Patriots, including team owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, shared their memories of the popular linebacker. Kraft, fighting back tears, read a note that Seau sent him a few weeks after Myra Kraft passed away last year, and recalled fondly Seau's pregame motivational speeches and postgame embraces. Players spoke about Seau's leadership, his energy, his compassion, his passion for football, and his tendency to...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, fighting back tears, read a note that Junior Seau sent him last year, a few weeks after Myra Kraft passed away. Kraft met with the media at Gillette Stadium Thursday, sharing his memories on the former Patriots linebacker, who died yesterday of an apparent suicide. "Junior was one of those special people who came through our locker room," Kraft said. "We always knew his real family, he was really a Charger. Even when he was here we knew in the end he would be a Charger; but we were pretty close first cousins, because the years he...

The chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Foxborough wants to explore disciplinary proceedings against Town Manager Kevin Paicos, contending that bad advice, combative behavior, and mismanagement by Paicos prompted a lawsuit by the Kraft Group and injured relations with the town's largest taxpayer. The turmoil in town government, simmering because of a proposed casino, boiled over in March when Paicos advised Larry Harrington, chairman of the selectmen, not to allow Kraft Group lawyers to speak at a public meeting concerning billboard revenue that the two sides have shared...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, fighting back tears, read a note that Junior Seau sent him last year, a few weeks after Myra Kraft passed away. Kraft met with the media at Gillette Stadium today, sharing his memories on the former Patriots linebacker, who died yesterday of an apparent suicide. "Junior was one of those special people who came through our locker room," Kraft said. "We always knew his real family, he was really a Charger. Even when he was here we knew in the end he would be a Charger; but we were pretty close first cousins, because the...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft talked extensively this morning about how important this year's team and its success has been to him after his wife, Myra, passed away in July. "This has been my savior, they've been my extended family," Kraft said, when asked about a season that has seen his team advance to the AFC Championship game for the eighth time in franchise history (seventh with Kraft as owner). The team has dedicated the season to Kraft's "sweetheart," as the owner often calls his late wife.

Patriots' owner Robert Kraft has released a statement with his thoughts and memories of linebacker Junior Seau, who died on Wednesday at 43. Here is the text of the statement: "Every day, Junior Seau greeted his teammates and coaches with an energetic 'Hey, Buddy!' It was genuine, enthusiastic and backed by his radiant smile. For four seasons, after every game he played, he would always find me in the locker room just to give me a big hug and squeeze tighter than anyone I remember.