Florida prosecutors are set to release video footage showing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft receiving sexual services at a spa as part of the ongoing legal case. This is completely unnecessary.
As a Jets fan I’m all for embarrassing anybody affiliated with the Patriots, and as a journalist I’m all for giving the media access to a wide range of records. But in this case it’s difficult to see what possible public interest would be served by blasting out video of Kraft seeking sexual services, as prosecutors claim the tape would reveal.
Kraft’s legal team is understandably fighting the release of the tape, arguing among other things, that it would bias the jury pool and thus deprive him of a fair trial.
But beyond that, it’s difficult to see why the public needs to see this. Kraft is facing misdemeanor charges for soliciting prostitution. There’s no particular reason why prosecutors can’t convey any relevant evidence to a jury at the appropriate time in the trial in a discrete manner.
At this point, releasing secret video recordings would merely embarrass Kraft without advancing the cause of justice in any way.
