Don’t send him cigars. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Ricki Noel Lander gave birth to a baby in 2017, but the 76-year-old isn’t the dad.
“Last fall, Ricki Noel Lander became the proud mother of a beautiful, healthy baby,” a Patriots spokesperson told the Boston Globe on Thursday, March 1. “While Robert Kraft is not the biological father, he is thrilled with Ricki’s blessing of having a healthy child. With respect to her family’s privacy, we will not be commenting any further.”
The statement came one day after the New York Post broke the news that Lander, 38, had secretly become a mom.
Per the New York Post, Kraft and Lander — an actress, model and dancer — have been dating for about five years. They were last photographed together at the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles on February 18.
Sources told the New York Post that the billionaire bought Lander a mansion in Los Angeles and is taking care of both her and the newborn. “Bob is fully supporting the child,” one insider told the paper. “There is a lot of tiptoeing around the subject at the Patriots offices. Everyone is afraid to openly talk about it.”
Kraft has four adult sons — Jonathan, Daniel, Joshua, and David — with his late wife, Myra, who died from ovarian cancer in 2011. The Boston Globe reports that the children are all older than Lander.
Lander has had some roles in TV shows including Ugly Betty and True Blood.
