Apparently, the New England Patriots are suddenly flying coach. And that’s what the NFLPA’s Team Report Card would have you think. The Patriots’ aircraft is an airborne antique, according to anonymous player feedback. Imagine cramped seats, no Wi-Fi, and ah…ashtrays. Obviously, Robert Kraft wasn’t thrilled with it. “We don’t have ashtrays. I’ll bet anyone,” he also told reporters at the NFL Annual Meetings.
Robert Kraft clarified that the planes were purchased pre-COVID in order to prevent the chaos of chartering and are being updated. But F grades don’t lie. On team travel, the Patriots were ranked 31st out of 32. The only team performing worse is the Arizona Cardinals, who also don’t provide free sandwiches to their players. The NFL community, of course, jumped at the chance to claim that the once-dominant Patriots are now handing out PB&Js on folding chairs in midair.
But that’s where Julian Edelman came to the rescue. Jules defended the flying Foxboro experience on his Games With Names show with Danny Amendola. And to be honest? It sounded… incredible. “When we travel, usually Sunday, we’ll have a walk through at the stadium. After the walk through, we pack up. We put our suits on. You go straight to the tarmac,” Edelman said. “They have tables of all the food that you get to pick. Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, PB&Js, and there’s every kind of snack you can have or want.”
Patriots road trips were elite back then
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And it only gets better. “You walk up the stairs in the plane, you get in your seat. We had lovely flight attendants always that were with us for the longest time, so they knew what your drink order was,” he added. “I always liked my electrolytes and a cramp juice. On the way back, you’d have, like, homemade cookies made and stuff. It was pretty cool.” Homemade cookies? Customised beverages? On-demand snacks? That sounds more like Delta One with shoulder pads than a failing grade.
So, what’s the issue then? Perhaps this has less to do with the actual appearance of the plane and more to do with when Edelman performed. Everything seemed first-class during the Brady-Belichick dynasty because the team was winning. Edelman’s memories are drenched in nostalgia, road wins, and cramp juice. But the players of today are living through losing streaks and Wi-Fi-less film study. When the wins stop coming, the same seat hits differently when you’re 4–13, and Robert Kraft’s empire doesn’t shine as brightly.
“It really opened my eyes in a way. The culture… it just was not a good environment,” Kraft admitted. He is now pledging a complete overhaul of the facilities. Improvements are being made to the weight room, and the team plane is next. The objective? Make the Patriots a destination that people want to return to. For the culture as well as the cookie service.
From F grades to cold shoulders: Robert Kraft gets snubbed in Bill’s book
In the meantime, in a different section of the Patriot movie world. Bill Belichick dropped a book and didn’t even mention the man who signed his checks for 20 years. The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football is Bill’s version of a memoir-meets-manifesto. However, when Tony Dokoupil of CBS began looking through it, he discovered something really significant: Robert Kraft’s name is not listed anywhere. Not in the primary text or in the footnote. Literally like Kraft never existed in his journey.
And when he was asked about it. Belichick dismissed the question by saying, “It’s about my life lessons in football, and it’s really more about the ones I experienced directly.” Translation: Moving on…to the next question. This is the same Robert Kraft who employed him, gave him authority, and supported him during Spygate, Deflategate, and that Monday night game against the Chiefs that nearly broke the internet, and he received no recognition for it.
Belichick declined to stir up controversy, even when asked if he felt Kraft treated him with respect when he left. He stated, “It was a mutual decision.” Just so you know, Kraft used the word ‘fired.’ So, yes, there is still some frost in the air in Foxboro.
See, perhaps Belichick simply didn’t want to go mushy. Or he thought the book was about football strategy rather than politics in the boardroom. But excluding Kraft entirely? That’s not subtle—it’s personal. You don’t forget to give thanks to the man who built the home where you spent 24 years coaching. Not unless some friction is still beneath all those ‘mutual’ quotes.
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