New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, pictured, said his father wanted him to become a rabbi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft admitted on Monday that his father wanted him to become a rabbi, but said he chose his own path, Jewish Insider reported.

During a Milken Institute panel discussion entitled “Stewards of the Game: The Business Leaders Behind Major Sports,” the moderator asked Kraft if it was true that his father wanted him to be a Jewish religious leader. Kraft, who visits Israel regularly and donates money to Jewish and Israeli causes, responded, “Well my father was a very wise man, and a very spiritual person, but I don’t think people who love football and have ADD would be good rabbis. So even though I was a middle child, it was one of the first times I went against my parents, times many.”

“Football has always been my passion,” Kraft added, when explaining why he bought the football team in 1994.

The Patriots won 225 games in the first 34 seasons of their existence, but under Kraft’s ownership the franchise won the same number of games in just 19 years, according to the team’s official website. With Kraft at the helm, the Patriots have won 14 division titles, 7 conference crowns and 4 Super Bowl championships, a record unmatched in the NFL. The Patriots claimed their fourth Super Bowl title in 2014.