Football fans have always wondered why New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave one of his Super Bowl rings to Russian President Vladimir Putin back in 2005. That’s because he didn’t “give” his ring to Putin; the Russian President stole it right in front of him.

Kraft, speaking at an event last week, claimed that he was showing Putin one of his $25,000 Super Bowl rings back in ’05.

“I took it out and showed it to Putin and he goes ‘I can kill someone with this ring.'”

Kraft said that when he put out his hand to retrieve his ring, Putin slid it in his pocket. Before Kraft could react, Putin was leaving the room, surrounded by his KGB bodyguards.

Kraft said even though he wanted his ring back because of his “emotional tie to it” someone from the White House called him up and said “Hey, it would REALLY be in the best interest of US-Soviet relations if you ‘meant to give the ring as a present.'”

Kraft decided it was his patriotic duty to heed the White House’s suggestion, fibbing about his ring for years.

The New York Post says Kraft’s Super Bowl XXXIX ring is tucked away in Russia’s Kremlin Library.

What a wild story!