It took about one painless hour for Robert Kraft to answer every outstanding question about the Patriots. Red Sox ownership should follow his lead.
On the eve of Opening Day — before the game was called due to cloud cover — it was notable that Kraft was the only owner in town addressing the electronically assembled media. It’s been more than one year since Red Sox principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner have fielded questions from a group of reporters (Werner has done a handful of interviews with NESN and WEEI). During that time, they’ve rehired Alex Cora, and fielded the worst Red Sox team since 1965. There’s also been a global pandemic. We have a lot to catch up on.
Meanwhile, some media types were apocalyptic about Kraft not again sharing his thoughts on Tom Brady’s departure during Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run. But Kraft didn’t dodge questions about Brady on Wednesday. He gave a couple of extended answers, even revealing the Patriots could’ve forced Brady's return.
“Well, after 20 years with any player, I’ll make this commitment to any player in the future: Anyone who spends 20 years with us and helps us win six Super Bowls, we’re not gonna keep — look, we could’ve, contract-wise, kept him in our camp,” Kraft told reporters, via WEEI's Ryan Hannable. But it’s just not the right thing. I would’ve loved for him to have retired as a Patriot. Everybody knew that. But in life, things just happen in a way that you have to balance a lot of things.”
Some of Kraft’s answers about Brady were defensive, such as when he referenced “what happened” at the end of the 2019 season. But he provided Patriots fans a glimpse into his mindset. As far as Kraft is concerned, the Brady matter is settled.
Perhaps most notably, Kraft was candid about the Patriots’ recent shortcomings, including Bill Belichick’s run of failed drafts. It’s the kind of self-criticism you seldom hear from Red Sox brass.
“I don't feel we've done the greatest job the last few years and I really hope, and I believe, I've seen a different approach this year," Kraft said.
Meanwhile, Red Sox ownership frequently rejects accountability. They took no culpability for the sign-stealing scandal, instead blaming Cora, whom they brought back this winter without offering more than a press release. When Henry tried to explain the Mookie Betts trade, he quietly read a strange pre-written statement, in which he waxed poetic about his childhood love of Stan Musial.
We’re still waiting on a press conference about Dave Dombrowski’s dismissal.
Obviously, Henry doesn’t possess Kraft’s affability, or thirst for fame. Kraft loves to join “Squawk Box” and chat on morning TV. Henry prefers to pen late-night emails to beat reporters, if he’s going to communicate at all.
But for someone so analytical, it is amazing Henry can’t appear to see the correlation between transparency and likability. He’s mirrored the public relations approach of Jeremy Jacobs: seldom seen or heard. As a result, he’s not trusted, despite financing four World Series teams in two decades — never mind the incredible upgrades he's made to Fenway Park.
With Opening Day this week, it would’ve been easy for Henry and Werner to sit on a Zoom conference call, maybe with the Green Monster in the background. They could've billed Fenway’s reopening to fans as symbolic of Boston’s post-pandemic awakening, or something cheesy like that. Bring on Dr. Charles.
Instead, they’e opted for silence, which is a mistake. The Covid-era press environment is so controlled. Reporters are usually muted until called upon, making follow-ups difficult. Henry and Werner could just sit on their lines and answer a few questions of interest. Then everybody would move on, and feel a little bit better.
Perception didn’t matter when the Red Sox were fielding consistent playoff teams. But after a decade of ups and downs, fans are alienated. TV ratings fell by more than 50 percent last season.
Kraft realizes that brand trust matters, especially after a losing campaign. And the Patriots are just coming off a 20-year run of consistent excellence. The Red Sox slogged to their third last-place finish in seven seasons.
Just sitting in the background isn’t good enough when the team is losing. Fans spend hundreds of dollars to go to games. They demand answers.
Kraft gets it. Henry and Werner do not.