New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft’s charity auction of his 2017 Super Bowl ring brought a winning bid of more than one million dollars on Thursday.
Two weeks ago, Kraft announced that he would put his Super Bowl LI ring up for auction to benefit a charity that feeds needy Americans.
The ring is forever a part of NFL history and memorializes the Patriots’ 34-28 come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017.
With a starting bid of $75,000, the diamond-encrusted, 5.1-carat ring finally sold for $1.025 million, with 35 bids over the 12-day auction.
“What could I do that would be special? I’ve been thinking about it for weeks,” Kraft said in a video posted to ESPN’s Twitter feed on May 10. “I finally thought about our experience in Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons. We were down 28-3 [in the third quarter] and had 99.6% [odds] to lose. And we came back, and we won.
“And I thought about what is going on at this time and wanted to give something of extreme value in support of our health care workers. So, I thought it would be good to give this ring, our fifth Super Bowl win because it showed how we came back,” Kraft added.
Kraft’s auction will benefit the All-In Challenge, a movement to help multiple charities that fight food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic, including Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen, and No Kid Hungry.
“More than ever before, families will struggle to provide food as tens of millions are out of work, kids are out of school, many are at risk of losing their income, and our most vulnerable are self-isolating,” the group explains on the All-In Challenge website.
Thus far, the All-In Challenge has raised more than $4.5 million for coronavirus relief.
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