New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft invited Jerry Edmond — the fan who was harassed at the end of the team’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders — to Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kraft greeted Edmond before the game at Gillette Stadium where he had previously promised him sideline passes and had another surprise for him.
He invited Edmond to watch the game in the owner’s suite rather than sit in the chilly conditions.
Kraft told Edmond, ‘What you did was so classy. You represent what our whole franchise is about, building bridges.’
During the CBS broadcast of the Patriots-Bengals game, Edmond was spotted sitting next to Kraft in his box.
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Last week, a video of a woman wearing a Raiders Derek Carr jersey yelling at Edmond, who was wearing a Patriots Tom Brady jersey, went viral. The clip picked up momentum in part because Edmond stood still and kept looking straight ahead throughout the encounter.
Edmond, a Connecticut resident, commented on the post and identified himself as the fan, saying it was his first NFL game.
‘I didn’t want to ruin my experience by retaliating towards that (woman),’ he said.
After hearing about Edmond’s story, Kraft reached out and left him a voice mail inviting him to the Week 16 game.
USA TODAY Sports+ producer Victoria Hernandez contributed to this story.