John Rowland met Kraft in some barn to agree to this secret pact, and the Courant publishers - Touchdown!, now theres a lesson in journalistic objectivity - went right along with it all. The Great Patriots Reception Deception was a lowlight, not a highlight in the Courants history. The estimate of $375 million for a domed stadium was also nothing but a wild guess. Kraft spent $325 million on building the stadium in Foxboro - then developed the surrounding 700 acres with a $350 million complex of shops and stores. All without borrowing a dime from Massachusetts. And as UTC donated - yes, thats right- donated - 75 acres of land in East Hartford for a 40,000-seat open-air bowl that came in at $93 million - in essence saving the state $280 million or so in long-term bonding. So call Kraft Mister Krafty all day, but the truth is he did the taxpayers of Connecticut as well as football fans who would have been stuck in traffic until halftime a big favor by walking away. John Rowland can have a little temper tantrum and take his football away. But this deal would have been a bad fit for Downtown Hartford - and Kraft saw that early enough so that it did not hurt Connecticut, the team, Patriots football fans or taxpayers everywhere one bit.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:29:54 +0000
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