FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft stopped short of throwing his full support behind the idea of holding the NFL draft in Boston. But he was supportive nevertheless.
Boston was one of several cities that reportedly told the NFL on Wednesday they are interested in hosting the draft. Mayor Martin Walsh is a Patriots season-ticket holder, suggesting that the city’s interest in hosting the draft is about more than selling a few hotel rooms.
“I think we’re privileged to have the only mayor in the United States of America who is a season-ticket holder of his NFL team,” Kraft told fans at the Patriots’ pre-draft party at Gillette Stadium, according to The Boston Globe. “I didn’t know him until after he got elected, but he’s been a season-ticket holder.
“He’s a real fan. Now that he knows the commissioner wants to move (the) draft around, he’d very much like to see part of it come to Boston, and we’re going to try and be supportive of it. It’s nice to have a mayor that cares about the NFL and our sport.”
The NFL delayed its draft by two weeks this year because of scheduling conflicts at Radio City Music Hall in New York. That prompted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to consider alternate sites for future drafts, with “close to a dozen” contacting league offices to express their interest Wednesday, a league spokesman said.
