Putin Denies He Stole Super Bowl Ring From Patriots Owner

Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a bizarre claim to the New York Post that Russian President Vladimir Putin stole his Super Bowl ring during a visit to the U.S. in 2005. At the time, Kraft told the media that he gave the ring to Putin "as a symbol of the respect and admiration that I have for the Russian people and his leadership."

Kraft now claims that he did not intend to give the 4.94 karat ring to Putin. Kraft says he didn't make a big deal about it at the time because he received a call from President George W. Bush suggesting that it would be best for U.S. relations with Russia if "you meant to give the ring as a present." Kraft claimed that he put the ring in Putin's hand to let him see it and that he stuck it in his pocket and walked off with it.

Putin has reacted angrily to Kraft's claim through a spokesman, denying that he stole the ring. "What Mr. Kraft is saying now is weird," Dmitry Peskov said. "I was standing 20 centimeters away from him and Mr. Putin and saw and heard how Mr. Kraft gave this ring as a gift." Putin does not wear the ring according to the spokesman. It is kept in the Kremlin's library along with other official state gifts the spokesman told CNN.

I recently brought to your attention a Super Bowl ring that Mayor Greg Ballard listed on his 2012 statement of economic interest he filed last month as a gift he had received from the Indianapolis Colts valued at just $400.00. When I questioned how a Super Bowl ring could only be worth $400.00, a spokesman for Mayor Ballard told the Indianapolis Star's Jon Murray that it was not a true Super Bowl ring awarded to the winning team; rather, it was a much less expensive commemorative ring made in honor of the city of Indianapolis hosting last year's Super Bowl.

Curiously, after Ballard's spokesman provided an explanation of the ring to the Star I received an unsigned letter in the mail from someone claiming that Gov. Mitch Daniels had received the same Super Bowl ring, but that he had written out a four-figure check to reimburse the Colts for the cost of the ring. Hmmm.