Insisting his Super Bowl ring was stolen by Vladimir Putin in 2005, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft said the Russian President returned the item after Kraft agreed to give to Putin the autograph of Tim Tebow.
In a statement issued by the team, Kraft said, “Mr. Putin recently tweeted about how happy he is that Tebow is now a member of the Patriots. So I asked Tim if he wouldn’t mind signing for the President so I can get my ring back.”
The controversy prompted Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox to reveal he was forced to provide Putin with autographs of Cliff Polite and Timo Perez so he could get back the baseball that was in play during the last out of the 2005 World Series. Konerko later presented the ball to owner Jerry Reinsdorf at a celebration of the White Sox Series win.
In a related matter, a report by a Moscow newspaper said Putin is considering returning the missing puck with which the final goal was scored in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final won by the Chicago Blackhawks.
A source said the Hawks will send Putin phone numbers of three former girlfriends of Patrick Kane in exchange for the coveted biscuit.
