Robert Kraft disappointed that "The Dynasty" harped on controversies, "challenging situations"
BOSTON -- The release of the 10-part docuseries "The Dynasty" on Apple TV+ has been met with mixed reviews. In New England, where football fans love and adore the Patriots, the series certainly was not a beloved addition to Patriots lore.
Between skipping over the second and third Super Bowls, spending entire episodes on Aaron Hernandez and Spygate and Deflategate, spending a whole episode on the 2008 season, and focusing heavily on the impending Bill Belichick-Tom Brady breakup even while the team was winning Super Bowls, the series was certainly heavy on drama and light on, well, what made the dynasty "The Dynasty."
Owner Robert Kraft has ended up taking a bit of a public relations hit on the series -- at least if social media is an accurate representation of fandom -- as he was a willing and possibly eager participant in the project. The name "Kraft Dynasty LLC" appears at the end of the credits of each episode too, and though that has more to do with the Patriots owning the rights to some of the footage used in the documentary, it at least created an impression that team ownership had more to do with the project than just being interview subjects.
Yet, as it turns out, Robert Kraft's feelings on the docuseries are pretty much in line with those of the fans.
Well, I loved the first three episodes. I really liked [them]," Kraft said, referencing the episodes that focused on the road to the first Super Bowl victory. "I felt bad that there was so much emphasis on the more controversial and, let's say 'challenging' situations over the last 20 years. I wish they had focused more on our Super Bowl wins, our 21-game win streak."
Last week, Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison lamented how much of what they said during their interviews didn't make the final cut, with McCourty saying he felt "duped" by the production team. Kraft said he felt badly about that aspect of the show.
"I felt bad there were players who gave hours and hours of interviews and they felt only the negativity [was used]. People like Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison and Matthew [Slater] -- although I didn't, I've just heard quietly that they've all felt that way," Kraft said. "Actually there were some really prominent people that were interviewed for hours that never were used. So a little disappointed that there wasn't more of a real positive approach, especially for Patriots fans who have lived the experience with us."
The docuseries has also been heavily criticized for its portrayal of Bill Belichick. Belichick definitely didn't help matters by saying almost nothing during his interviews in the series, yet certain parts of the show were clearly unfair. Most obvious was the insinuation that Belichick should have known to trade Aaron Hernandez in the 2013 offseason, before the tight end murdered Odin Lloyd.
Aside from that, Kraft's candor when describing the later years of Belichick's tenure in New England would have absolutely made it a bit difficult for the two to have continued to working together if Belichick was still with the team.
Kraft was asked directly about the portrayal of Belichick in the series, but the owner opted to sidestep the question and instead focus on a positive outlook for the future relationship with Belichick.
"Yeah well look, I'll state this clearly: I feel so privileged that we had Bill here and, you know, we hope when he's finished that we're gonna have a chance to honor him the way we will do with Tom Brady this year," Kraft answered. "You know, we did this little ceremony at halftime of the Eagles game, but it was not adequate. And we look forward to being able to celebrate putting him into the Patriots Hall of Fame, 6-12-24. And I look forward to the privilege of putting Bill into the Patriots Hall of Fame one day in the future."
Most likely, time can heal some open wounds that may still be fresh for Kraft and/or Belichick. But "The Dynasty" might have opened some new fissures that may require some effort to mend.
