Pats owner Putin an awkward spot<br />By Thomas Caywood and Michael O'Connor<br />Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - Updated: 07:20 AM EST<br /><br />It's no secret the Russian economy has been sucking wind for years, but few economists could have predicted that President Vladimir Putin might resort to swiping diamond Super Bowl rings. <br /> <br /> In what may prove to be the Cuban Missile Crisis of Russian-Patriot Nation relations, the former KGB agent apparently misunderstood Pats owner Bob Kraft's offer to check out his gem-encrusted finger bling and instead pocketed it, according to media reports on both sides of the Atlantic. <br /> <br /> Kraft walked away from a Kremlin meeting between Putin and American business executives without his 2005 Super Bowl ring for fear of creating an international incident, according to an account in the New York Sun. <br /> <br /> I've seen the story, and I've gotten other calls,'' Pats spokesman Stacy James said. I wish I could confirm it, but I just don't have any way to.'' <br /> <br /> Kraft is still traveling on business in Europe and couldn't be reached, James said. <br /> <br /> The Sun account, which was attributed to unnamed sources, said Putin looked over the proffered Super Bowl knuckleduster then promptly pocketed it following the meeting last weekend. The paper said Kraft has been trying to come up with a polite way of asking for his outsized bauble without reigniting the Cold War. <br /> <br /> While Patriots Nation may be at Defcon 4 over the alleged jewelry injustice, the U.S. State Department really couldn't care less. <br /> <br /> I haven't heard of this, and I don't think there would be any State Department involvement,'' said spokeswoman Nancy Beck. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Russian diplomats offered up a nyet kommentari.'' <br /> <br /> I read about it in the Russian newspaper, but I don't have any information,'' said Yevgeniy Khorishko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. <br /> <br /> Kraft's gaudy ring weighs more than 4 ounces, making it the heaviest Super Bowl ring ever. And it features a stunning number of diamonds, 124 in all. <br /> <br /> That's enough flash to mesmerize any head of state. But would Vladimir Putin want to be known as the Kommisar of the Ring?<br />
