Robert Kraft - What will happen?

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, dominattorney said:

Not so.  Sex Trafficking is not what people believe it to be.  It's not like Taken where you wind up abducted from a hotel room and then subsequently auctioned off to the highest Arab bidder.  More often, victims of sex trafficking are tricked into indentured servitude in exchange for being smuggled into the country.  They are not going to act like they are not willing and consenting, at least not dramatically.  My line of work causes me to come into contact with my fair share of sex workers.  I can tell you that even ones who are in the business "by choice" do not much care for the work.  I  recently defended an 18 year old who stabbed her John when he tried to strangle her.  Thankfully the jury acquitted her.  Hearing her talk about the tragic series of events that led her to selling her body to get by was heartbreaking.  However, she needed the money, so it didn't behoove her to tell everyone she came in contact with about these things.  Smile and bear it, and hope they tip well.  Then hope your pimp doesn't skim too much. 

 

I say "highest Arab bidder' not to contribute to the stereotype which I believe is racially insensitive and dangerously misleading, but because that's what happened in the movie, which was a high profile production that dealt with sex trafficking.

i happily bow to far greater knowledge. 

the only thing i'd say is that one would presume that if kraft is indeed guilty, you'd think he'd be paying for the absolute best (possible fetishes aside). those girls would be earning a very serious quid/night and i have to imagine that they would be very different from the ordinary, run-of-the-mill hooker. but again, just speculation from me.

[wineguy]

10 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

i happily bow to far greater knowledge. 

the only thing i'd say is that one would presume that if kraft is indeed guilty, you'd think he'd be paying for the absolute best (possible fetishes aside). those girls would be earning a very serious quid/night and i have to imagine that they would be very different from the ordinary, run-of-the-mill hooker. but again, just speculation from me.

Cleary he could be having the highest end former models turned escorts that he wanted.  Is he cheap or he thought this was more anonymous.... My guess is he thought would be more anonymous and less likely to have something leak... but I am only speculating and likely no one will ever know.

[Ken Gargett]

4 hours ago, ElJavi76 said:

So if this rich NFL owner is convicted of a misdemeanor... He should be forced to sell his team? Really? Can we make him sell his cars and his boats too while we're at it? I'm not in any way condoning the behavior of those exploiting these women. Kraft did that indirectly. What about those importing these women and keeping them hostage? 

The moral police comes out extra heavy. Imagine if you got convicted of a DUI and were forced to sell your car. What he did was not ok but we need to pump the brakes with these suggested penalties. I'm a Buffalo Bills fan. I'd love to watch the Pats implode but not like this. He should be punished like every other Joe Blow on that 200 name list. He's not any more evil cause he has all that money. He's just dumber. 

The real winner here... Jussie. This news just happened to break a day after his arrest. What a coincidence. LOL

i do not think he'll be forced to sell. not for a minute, unless what he has done is much more serious than we are hearing so far.

but what people are forgetting is that the NFL is not there to punish crimes/misdemeanors etc. police, courts etc, can deal with that. they are looking at this from the impact his actions are having on the sport. it is a separate issue. he would have signed an agreement in which there would be provision for action to be taken in certain circumstances where behaviour has fallen short of whatever standards they have set. it is a separate issue to the legal action that may be taken. he has agreed to this. and i would strongly suspect it is not dependent on whether he is convicted or not. you and i and presumably the other 199 have not made any such agreement and the NFL would have no interest in any event. it is not because he has money. it is because he has made an agreement which allowed him to own a team and consequently placed himself under their jurisdiction. 

as for being punished like every other person among the 200, agree absolutely as far as the legal proceedings. but think then of those 200. i have not seen who any of the others are but you can bet that the impact on their lives will not be the same across the board. employers may have clauses which allow them to dismiss anyone from bottom of the rung workers to CEOs for such behaviour. others might not. say a school teacher or a priest (although who'd know there) is one of the 200. you think that their employers will take no further action? the 200 will not be equal. 

[El Presidente]

I personally look to the NFL (insert any sporting code) for my moral compass. 

 

If I was Kraft I would put in a patsy, resign, salute the commission with a middle finger, pay the fine, suck up the 15 minutes of shame.....and have more discretion in the future. 

[ElJavi76]

23 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

 he would have signed an agreement in which there would be provision for action to be taken in certain circumstances where behaviour has fallen short of whatever standards they have set. it is a separate issue to the legal action that may be taken. he has agreed to this. 

Touchè Señor Ken... You're spot on here. His actions can be deemed detrimental to the sport and the NFL owners' code of conduct. I can't say I know a lick about what, if any, that code might be. They're starting to hold players more and more responsible for their actions off the field. For better or worse, we know if you're loaded with money certain problems go away easier. Not to mention that a school teacher who loses his job doesn't have 4.4 Billion dollars to fall back on. Kraft should be fined and forced to hire anyone who lost their job to their "go-to spot". LoL 

I'm kidding. If it didn't violate anything in writing... Go thru the legal bs. Apologize in public. Write some checks to charities and for Pete's sake stay away from the Orchids of Asia. The whole lot of them!

[Ken Gargett]

28 minutes ago, ElJavi76 said:

Touchè Señor Ken... You're spot on here. His actions can be deemed detrimental to the sport and the NFL owners' code of conduct. I can't say I know a lick about what, if any, that code might be. They're starting to hold players more and more responsible for their actions off the field. For better or worse, we know if you're loaded with money certain problems go away easier. Not to mention that a school teacher who loses his job doesn't have 4.4 Billion dollars to fall back on. Kraft should be fined and forced to hire anyone who lost their job to their "go-to spot". LoL 

I'm kidding. If it didn't violate anything in writing... Go thru the legal bs. Apologize in public. Write some checks to charities and for Pete's sake stay away from the Orchids of Asia. The whole lot of them!

you are spot with the 'what that code might be'. that is a huge problem. and rob is absolutely right as well. who has a clue what the code is? it changes year to year. who needs a weatherman indeed... 

[Corylax18]

Lets break down the facts. Bob was supposedly seen on video tape at the establishment in question, twice. The car he was leaving in was pulled over the first day (19th) and Bob handed the officer his Massachusetts drivers license as a from of ID. Someone registered, then executed a flight plan from Florida, to Kansas City on the 20th, using Bob's personal/private Gulfstream G650(N616KG) . The Patriots played the Chiefs in Kansas City on the 20th. 

If the police are not lying about having him on video, its going to be VERY difficult for any lawyer to get the charges wiped, especially in such a high profile case, with the other extenuating circumstances. The traffic stop is genius by the police and indicates this was definitely a sting and the authorities had been setup here for a while. They can now place Bob at the strip mall in question minutes after he was supposedly on tape receiving said sex acts. With the evidence presented so far, it seems like a pretty open and shut case to me.

Now some conjecture.

It also indicates to me that the authorities used their leverage over the salon owners (and trafficked women) to ensure the illegally trafficked women continued performing sex acts while being recorded. I don't see how you justify that, at all. A hundred wrist-slap misdemeanors (which is what the John's will be hit with) just doesn't seem like a juice worth the squeeze. We're not talking about an undercover selling a chunk of drywall to a stupid kid, these acts still happened, under the watchful eye of authorities, atleast 100 times. That makes me sick and makes me question law enforcement motives in a major way. 

If we look at the most recent NFL owner to get hit with a serious charge (Jim Irsay, Colts) we can start to garner a possible suspension. Jim Irsay was arrested for and convicted of DUI and possession of a controlled substance (Oxy's, no prescription). For putting countless peoples lives at risk and possessing a felony amount of synthetic heroine he was fined $500,000 and suspended for 6 games. I don't think getting a rub and tug is nearly as grave an offense as a DUI, so my hope would be that Bob's suspension and fine are both less. The human trafficking element adds an entirely different dimension to things though.

Bob had no legal right to ensure that any of the women conducting these acts on him we're legally employed or that they came here legally. If that were the case EVERY Person who's golfed at a Trump property in the last 20+ years would be a criminal. 

[SCgarman]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

I personally look to the NFL (insert any sporting code) for my moral compass. 

 

If I was Kraft I would put in a patsy, resign, salute the commission with a middle finger, pay the fine, suck up the 15 minutes of shame.....and have more discretion in the future. 

A 77 year old multi-billionaire have discretion? 

[FOHrty9er]

The rich will get richer.

[Balboa]

Nothing will happen unless he was actually abducting women for prostitution. I don't except any type of punishment. This is a league where some players beat the crap out of their spouses/ girlfriends or are even implicated in a murder and are able to continue their careers.  

[dominattorney]

17 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

i happily bow to far greater knowledge. 

the only thing i'd say is that one would presume that if kraft is indeed guilty, you'd think he'd be paying for the absolute best (possible fetishes aside). those girls would be earning a very serious quid/night and i have to imagine that they would be very different from the ordinary, run-of-the-mill hooker. but again, just speculation from me.

Again, an interesting yet not uncommon misconception.  Sometimes people like to get down and dirty in the back alleys for a kind of cheap thrill, other times it's all high dollar.  sometimes it's both.  When you say guilty though, that's also an interesting concept, and what makes sex trafficking so prickly.  It's easy for people to overlook the damage they are contributing to when they pay for sexual services--after all, she is a willing participant, no?  What if you knew she was not?  One hopes far fewer people would engage, but who knows?  It's the reason I don't use cocaine--as a libertarian I have nothing against it from a live and let live standpoint.  However by purchasing an 8ball on the street you are indirectly contributing to narco-terrorism in the South American countries that produce it.  I am quite certain my friends who use the drug do not se it this way or they would not. 

[BrightonCorgi]

1 hour ago, FatherOfPugs said:

I'm guessing he'll get heavily fined by the league and given a suspension, like 8 games. I don't see his buddy Goodell giving him much of a punishment.

That is not much punishment?  8 Games?

[skalls]

He'll settle and go into the Florida plan for people with no priors.  Do x y and z and spend w time on probation and then you have a clear record.

He'll disappear into the background and make his son the face of the organization.

NFL will hit him with a $500k fine and 6 game suspension.

[vinnyvega]

As a fair punishment,  bob Kraft should have to work a shift in a message parlor. 

[Lotusguy]

As a fair punishment,  bob Kraft should have to work a shift in a message parlor. 

Better than in a massage parlor, I guess

[prodigy]

What impact does an owner being suspended from x number of games have? He will just watch it from his multi million dollar mansion while getting a massage! Tough choice there. Fines? To a billionaire, those mean nothing. He gets off and has no repercussion other than negative publicity until something else grabs media attention as "the most important thing in the world"...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[Ken Gargett]

7 minutes ago, prodigy said:

What impact does an owner being suspended from x number of games have? He will just watch it from his multi million dollar mansion while getting a massage! Tough choice there. Fines? To a billionaire, those mean nothing. He gets off and has no repercussion other than negative publicity until something else grabs media attention as "the most important thing in the world"...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

yes, hard to disagree with that. so, if guilty and incurs a penalty, unless the crime considered so severe that he is forced to sell, it works as little more than a slap on the wrist (even if it would be crippling to the rest of us). 

not sure if they have the option but over here, when a side was found to have systematically and continuously breached the salary cap rules, they were striped of a couple of premierships (equivalent of superbowls) and also docked a heap of points for the next season. a really serious penalty. it meant that they were effectively no chance of making the finals (playoffs) for the coming season. to strip the pats of a superbowl or two, and/or dock them a number of wins effectively preventing the team from making the playoffs would be an equivalent (not suggesting that this should happen but perhaps it should be considered).

fans and players whinge like you would imagine, and tough on them, but it is their team. they make it very clear to the team and officials that they do not want that happening ever again. gets the point across. 

[Ken Gargett]

i should have mentioned that we do not have a draft system like the NFL so draft picks were not an option. but if the NFL are really serious, that is another option. take away three years of first round picks, or strip them of all picks in a draft, would hurt (well, hurt most teams - perhaps the pats less so). 

again, not saying this should happen but they are options if the NFL decide his "crime", if guilty or if they deem him to have brought the game into disrepute, is of a serious level. 

a lot of these posts have mentioned that he is a billionaire and has the money to fight this or that a fine won't hurt. understand that but then think of it from the NFL perspective. to have the owner of the flagship team, the current superbowl holders, committing such crimes will hurt viewing figures. with everything else that goes on (and most of us might admire the players for their onfield ability but i doubt we think of them as rocket scientists or potential nobel prize winners), the owners tend to be respected (unless it is dan S) - yes, a generalisation. women are not going to be happy if this guy, if guilty, gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist. if they turn away and stop the kids watching, it hurts. sponsors will suffer. so these actions can hurt the bottom line of the NFL. not sure that will make goodell think too fondly of kraft. 

but all speculation of course. 

[gcman68]

Ken,

Speaking as a Jets fan they could make them give up the next two years whole drafts as a penalty and divide them up between the Jets, Dolphins and the Bills and still win the division as long as B&B are there. So making them give up draft picks might not work! I would expect that the punishment will fit the crime in that his treatment will approximate a typical first offender which won't make a lot of people happy but will be in the best interest of justice. 

[DaBoot]

He Makes a few donations, mainstream media never reports again on the story. Reaches a settlement out of court with the women, no charges filled. 

[Corylax18]

Unsurprisingly, the Case against Mr. Craft, appears to be falling apart faster than he finished. All technicalities, but all legitimate. There have been several updates since the first rush, but none of it, none, has been good for the prosecution. The below article is the most recent I've read. 

1st, the lawyers identified that the warrant for the Video tape was approved to "monitor" the spa and very specifically NOT to "Monitor and Record" which means that the video surveillance may very well be thrown out. 2nd,the lead prosecutor has also since admitted that there is absolutely ZERO evidence to backup the human trafficking charges, which makes sense, since not a single person was charged with any charges related to Human trafficking. Every person working at the spa and that Craft came into contact with was a Florida resident, above the age of 18. The lack of human trafficking evidence calls into question, again, the legality of the warrant's that were applied for under the guise of human trafficking violations. 

So not only is Craft looking at getting off completely. ? ( I couldn't resist) But so are most of the men who where caught up in this sting. ALL of the men that were offered a seeming generous plea deal (Drop the charges if you admit guilt) turned the deal down and decided to take the charges to trial. It will be interesting to see how this all ends up, but things are looking A LOT different today than they did a month or so ago. 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/