New England Patriots Take Down 8-Year-Old Tweet Referencing ‘Happy Ending’ After Kraft ‘Massage’ Accusations
In one of the more shocking developments of the NFL offseason, the owner of the current and six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 77-year-old Robert Kraft, was set to be charged with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution, according to ESPN. Kraft allegedly solicited for sex at a massage spa in Jupiter, Florida, a city about 20 miles north of Palm Beach on the states’ southeastern coastline.
Kraft, through a spokesperson, said that he “categorically” denies that he “engaged in any illegal activity,” according to Boston Globe. But the embarrassing news story apparently sent the Patriots’ social media managers back through the team’s social media accounts to scrub any posts that might prove awkward in light of the delicate allegations against Kraft.
According to a report by the New York Post, the Patriots online administrators found one such post, dating from more than eight years ago, and immediately deleted it — but not before it was also spotted and screen-captured by The Pro Football Network, which preserved the 2010 Patriots tweet in a Twitter post of its own, which may be seen below.
The tweet contained a reference to a “happy ending.” The Twitter message was posted immediately after the Patriots’ November 21, 2010, regular season victory over the Indianapolis Colts, a dramatic win secured with an interception by New England safety James Sanders on the Patriots’ six-yard line with just 37 seconds left on the clock, according to Pro Football Reference.
The New England Patriots have since deleted this tweet where it said they loved a story with a happy ending.
Obviously, it's because of the Robert Kraft news. pic.twitter.com/Jw6GhqsILu
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) February 22, 2019
As seen in the above tweet, the mention of a “happy ending” referred to the outcome of the Colts-Patriots game that day. But according to Dictionary, the phrase “happy ending” is also used to describe a sexual act performed by a masseuse on a customer at the conclusion of a massage.
Kraft was one of 25 men announced by police to be facing charges in the case, according to The Washington Post. The case reportedly stems from a six-month investigation into a widespread sex trafficking ring in which women, mostly from China, were brought to the United States and forced to work as prostitutes in “massage” parlors throughout Florida.
Longtime NFL reporter Adam Schefter told Boston’s WEEI radio station on Friday that as many as 200 men will soon be named in connection with the prostitution ring, and that the list could include other famous names in addition to Kraft.
With a net worth estimated at $6.6 billion, according to Forbes, Kraft — who made his fortune through his ownership of a paper-manufacturing conglomerate — has owned the Patriots since 1994, buying the club for $172 million and growing it to the $3.7 billion valuation the Patriots enjoy today. Kraft also owns the New England Revolution Major League Soccer team, and a stake in the UFC mixed martial arts promotion.