So much for the Boston-New York rivalry.
Giants and Jets fans can’t help but appreciate New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his contribution to the coronavirus fight.
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On Thursday, Kraft’s plane returned from China with more than one million masks, which are desperately needed by health care workers and first responders on the COVID-19 front lines.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Kraft personally “bought 300,000 masks with his own money for New York that will be delivered to the Javits Center.”
Thursday night on CNN, Kraft explained why he was so willing to help New York City. Per Pro Football Talk:
“I’ve been watching Governor [Andrew] Cuomo over the last few weeks, and I just think he’s done an outstanding job. He’s at the epicenter of this crisis, and he has a calming way about him and he brings confidence. And I have a personal tie to New York City. Columbia was good to me and gave me a full scholarship as a kid. I love the city, I love the people there. I don’t think what’s going on is something any of us could imagine.
“We agreed to buy the masks and give them to the people of the City of New York just to try to bring some hope and goodwill and let people know we’re trying to bring everything together and generate some good feelings. ... People are looking for good things. This is the greatest country in the world. It’s time for us to rally together and solve these kinds of issues.”
Cuomo was more than appreciative of Kraft’s generosity, telling CNN that “I think that was the only good call I’ve gotten in about 10 days. Mr. Kraft is a special man and what he did here is pure generosity and goodness.”
New York City is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 51,000 cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the city, with 1,562 deaths.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.