Robert Kraft: New England Patriots Owner Holds the Key To Labor Issues

The New England Patriots didn't have many solutions this past Sunday when they lost to the Cleveland Browns. However, their owner, Robert Kraft, is full of both tricks and treats this fall season.

Last week, Fortune Magazine did a piece on the world's 655th richest billionaire. In the article, Kraft touched on a number of subjects. Tom Brady is like a son to the Patriots owner and everyone loves Bob—just a few of the running storylines the hard-hitting investigators from Fortune uncovered.

However, for football fans, the story means more than a Patriots fluff piece.

Robert Kraft is quickly becoming football's most important man—more important than Roger Goodell, more important than Bob Batterman and more important than DeMaurice Smith.

Kraft, as the piece explains, has moved into a leadership role among the ownership of the league.

With Friends Like These, Who Needs a Lockout?

Kraft isn't just some rich guy. He's a genuinely nice man and a social networker with tons of influence and friends in very high places.

Kraft's most important friend is Les Moonves, the CEO and chairman of CBS.

CBS pays the NFL a ton of money to broadcast AFC games. Next year, whether football games are played or not, CBS (along with ABC/ESPN, NBC, and DirecTv) will be rolling up to NFL Headquarters with that same Brinks truck.

Think Mr. Moonves wants his company to pay all of that money with none of the advertising money rolling in?

For any one not following the train of thought, the answer to that business question in no.

So while Les and Bob are out on the golf course, what do you think they talk about? Think Kraft buys the drinks or does Moonves pick from the top shelf to butter his buddy up?

Kraft has other friends too. Fortune properly identified him and Jerry Jones as two owners who have moved toward the front of the pack as leading many of these negotiations—guiding the other owners, many of whom don't have more than a cursory interest in the sport they have invested much of their money into.

The problem with Jerry Jones is that he is "football money." The other owners like Paul Allen and Stephen Ross know that Jones has more of a stake in the future of the NFL than they do. A loss of revenues could mean a lot more to owners like Jones, Mike Brown, and the McCaskeys than owners who made their money in places other than football.

Kraft gives that much more legitimacy to Jerry Jones. Kraft earned his money in processed cheese and salad dressings.

No one has the success that Kraft has had

Fanhood aside, no football team has had the success the New England Patriots have had since Kraft took over. Once a laughing stock of the AFC, the Patriots have been to five Super Bowls since Kraft took over the team—winning three of them.

Kraft is a winner.

Winning carries clout.

Winning also carries a desire to keep on winning. This upcoming April, Kraft's Patriots have two picks in each of the first three rounds. Including picks from Oakland and Carolina which many think will be high in the draft order.

Those draft picks aren't going to be worth nearly as much if football is stagnant in 2011.

Kraft has quite a bit on the line in these labor negotiations, but it is more that football.

Kraft has a chance for even more success. To become a leader among leaders, the man who saved football.

It has a ring to it doesn't it?

History always looks fondly on the good guys.

Dan Rooney has always been looked at like one of the good guy owners. While he was the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was looked at as a good man who cared about his team and his players and the people of his town.

Rooney passed that legacy onto his sons and carries that legacy into his after-NFL life as an ambassador for the US government.

Ask the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about ownership. Hugh Culverhouse was never considered much of a good guy. His reign over the Bucs has been described as an environment of fear. Culverhouse wasn't just anti-union, he was anti fans, yelling at them when his horrible teams couldn't draw crowds to his poorly built stadium.

Bud Adams was well-liked by just about everyone until he moved his team from Houston to Tennessee and gave the double middle finger on broadcast television to the entire city of Buffalo.

Bob McNair tried to be the voice of reason in this labor debate until he tried to explain that the NFL owners were running out of money. It is unclear if he did this while rolling around in his money Scrooge McDuck-style.

Robert Kraft has the ability to grab that baton from Dan Rooney and run with it.

Kraft, almost singlehandedly, can effect change in this labor disagreement. He has the most to gain, the most to lose, and the most influence to pander among the owners, the league's partners, and even the union.

If Kraft wants a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, he has the power and ability to make it happen.

He holds the key.

He can strike the agreement all football fans are looking for.

Michael Schottey is the managing editor for the College Writing Internship at Bleacher Report. He is also a NFL Featured Columnist. Michael has covered the NFL in a number of media markets and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.