Robert Kraft invites Patriots fan heckled by vicious Raiders supporter to watch game from luxury suite
NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS: A true Patriots fan, who went viral for calmly enduring an aggressive Las Vegas Raiders supporter, received a reward for his classy non-reaction after Patriots owner Robert Kraft personally invited him to his luxury suite for Saturday's game against the visiting Cincinncati Bengals.
In a now-viral video, Jerry Edmond was captured calmly enduring a diatribe from a female Raiders fan following the Patriots' heartbreaking last-second loss at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, December 18. For displaying class in the face of adversity, Kraft rewarded Edmond with an invitation to his lavish sweet. "I tell you, what you did was so classy, and you represent what our franchise is about: building bridges," Kraft told Edmond in a video posted on the team's Twitter account.
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Not just the invitation, Edmond even received a customized jersey from Kraft. "You know what? It's kind of cold," Kraft said. "How about you come to our suite and watch the game there?" Edmond quickly responded, "I'll do that." On Saturday, December 24, CBS cameras caught Edmond seated in Kraft's box next to his son Jonathan, who is also president of the family's holding company. Edmond also got to go on the field for pre-game warmups, checking out all the action alongside Kraft.
Someone find me this man. I owe him a beer. Entire game this lady was chirping at him for CHEERING for the Patriots in “her” stadium. Absolute shit ending for NE & she’s up in his face. He stayed calm after seeing the worst loss ever. I know I wouldn’t. He deserves some love. pic.twitter.com/gaKuSv3YqO
— Babz (@BabzOnTheMic) December 21, 2022
Edmond previously stated that he held his cool in the face of a barrage of insults in Las Vegas because he didn't want his first NFL game to be ruined. He revealed he was approached by the man as Bill Belichick's team went up 24-17 with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. "I didn't say anything crazy to anybody," Edmond explained while speaking to the League of Justice. "All I said was 'That's the Derek Carr, I know,' and then the husband comes over."
You represent us ❤️💙
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 24, 2022
Robert Kraft welcomes Jerry Edmond to @GilletteStadium. pic.twitter.com/HnBDeFqn9t
"When the Patriots scored, I yelled 'yep Raiders fans, I think it's time to go home.' And he comes over and he's like, 'Oh, so you're talking to me?'' Edmond continued. The insults escalated after Chandler Jones' fumble recovery score gave the Raiders a late-game victory. "I just kind of like looking at it like, 'You know what, I don't want to get in trouble. I don't want anything to happen here.' In the video, you hear me saying like 'I don't want any trouble.''
Hats off to Robert Kraft for this 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/2ikAJyXiL1
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 24, 2022
At that moment, Edmond was only attempting to figure out how his Patriots had blown the game while ignoring the woman's diatribe. "I wasn't going to try to make a fool out of myself and trying to make a big scene and everything like that. I didn't want to ruin anybody else's night," he said. "Neither did I want to ruin my night? So like at the end of the day I came here to have fun at a game I'm not gonna let her ruin my experience."
Kraft’s invite to Saturday’s game isn’t the only NFL game in Edmond’s future, as ticket provider TickPick has offered tickets to another game. “Let us know if there’s another NFL game you want to attend in the future,” The third-party ticket resale company said, “We got you on tickets."
