The New England Patriots organization has a storied history that really didn’t exist until 2001. The Patriots organization for its first 40 years of existence was not overly successful. Sure, they made a Super Bowl appearance in 1985 against the Chicago Bears. They had another appearance in 1996 against the Green Bay Packers. But each of those Super Bowls, nobody gave them a chance to win.

It wasn’t until 2001 that the dynasty began. For the past 20 years, the New England Patriots have been a relatively dominant force. But that has all changed.

It has been nearly 10 years since Robert Kraft’s wife, Myra Kraft, passed away at the age of 68. Myra was the President of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. Ever since then, team owner Robert Kraft has never quite been the same. You could see it in his face. Although the Patriots went on to win several more Super Bowls since then, Kraft never seemed to fully recover from the loss of his wife. The Patriots organization even decided to dedicate the 2011 season to her.

Since Tom Brady left the New England Patriots organization in 2020, the team has not fared so well. There have been reports of animosity between head coach Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft. The Patriots are still trying to find Brady’s replacement, as Cam Newton has been a solid substitute, but likely not the long term solution. The hope is that their 2021 first round draft pick Mac Jones will be the solution, but it is entirely too early to tell.

Kraft has been on a personal downslide himself since Myra passed away. In 2019, Kraft was charged with solicitation as part of an anti-sex trafficking investigation at various massage parlors throughout Florida. Kraft, along with 20 other men were busted as Kraft was seen engaging in a sexual act with one of the employees of the massage parlor. Although, he did get off (pun intended) as Florida prosecutors subsequently dropped the case against him.

The Patriots organization has since had issues with the NFL, including the Deflategate controversy involving former quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. No need to get into that, everyone knows what happened there. The Patriots were caught cheating and did their best to cover up the scandal.

The bottom line is, since Myra passed away, the Patriots organization has come under fire for cheating, sexual misconduct in public, alleged animosity between players, coaches and ownership, and the eventual departure of its star player.

Was Myra the glue that held the Patriots together? Because it seems like since she passed away, the organization has begun to crumble. Sure, they have won some Super Bowls since then, but was it really worth it considering all of the negative press the organization has since received?

Will the Patriots ever fully recover from their downfall? My guess is no. Besides, it’s time for the Buffalo Bills to be the shining star of the AFC East. Good riddance Patriots, none of us will miss your reign at the top.

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