In April, the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots became the first sports team to visit the Trump White House, and they really went above and beyond in showing their gratitude for the invitation. Team spokesperson Stacey James recently detailed the trip to USA Today, revealing that the team didn’t just gift the new president with the usual helmet and personalized jersey, but also a Super Bowl ring.
According to the report, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is a longtime friend of Donald Trump, thought it was an appropriate gift since the team was the first to visit the White House under Trump’s presidency.
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Super Bowl rings generally run upward of $5,000, but the Patriots have a habit of going deep into their own pockets and ordering far more expensive versions. In 2015, the team ordered rings coming in at an astronomical $36,500 each, totaling $5.475 million. This year’s rings, manufactured by the same company, Jostens, are said to be the “largest” the company has produced, though no price has been reported.
Regardless of the exact figure, Trump’s ring certainly exceeds the $390 limit on gifts for a sitting president, so if Trump were to do the ethical thing — a cavalier supposition — the ring would be given to the National Archives or another arms-length institution following his tenure as president.
The Patriots are perennial Super Bowl champs, so visits to the White House have recently been a matter of course in the team’s run of gridiron success. The squad visited George W. Bush on three occasions, in 2002, 2004, and 2005, and then Barack Obama in 2015, but they didn’t offer up any rings on those trips.
Though images of Trump’s ring are yet to circulate — we’re just learning the item exists now — USA Today is reporting that it resembles those given to the players but with some customized features. Though the ring’s ultimate fate is unknown, James said the intent of the gift was for its inclusion in Trump’s presidential library.
