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Patriots: Robert Kraft tells Vladimir Putin ring story for laughs

So was it or wasn't it a stolen Super Bowl ring?

The drama continued Sunday into the mystery of what happened to New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft's Super Bowl ring during his 2005 visit to Russia.

First, we heard the version in which Kraft gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the ring as a sign of respect and admiration.

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Next came the version in which Kraft said Putin put on the ring and never let it go -- which Putin later denied.

And on Sunday, the team clarified things.

"It's a humorous, anecdotal story that Robert re-tells for laughs. He loves that his ring is at the Kremlin and, as he stated back in 2005, he continues to have great respect for Russia and the leadership of President Putin," a team spokesman said. "In particular, he credits President Putin for modernizing the Russian economy."

The Patriots even might have won over a few more international fans with the suddenly Russian Super Bowl ring. Said Patriots spokesman Stacey James: "An added benefit from the attention this story gathered eight years ago was the creation of some Patriots fan clubs in Russia."

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