GLENDALE, Ariz. — Amid the frenzy of Super Bowl media day on Tuesday, as thousands of reporters and cameras surrounded the New England Patriots coaches and players, the dapper owner of the team, Robert K. Kraft, held his own impromptu news conference.
A day earlier, he had taken the unusual step of publicly demanding an apology from the N.F.L. if his team was absolved of deflating footballs at the A.F.C. championship game. For about 15 minutes, Kraft shared the spotlight with his players and coaches, eager to say more as dozens of reporters pushed and shoved to hear him speak.
When the Seattle Seahawks entered the arena an hour later, Paul G. Allen was nowhere to be seen. Though he has owned the Seahawks for 18 years, Allen gives few interviews and fans rarely see him outside of the sidelines before a game or at an occasional pep rally.
The Patriots and the Seahawks orbit at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum: Bill Belichick is a grumpy magician while Pete Carroll is a cerebral and serial gabber; Tom Brady is precision artist while Russell Wilson plays with an ad-lib style.
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Of more immediate concern, of course, is how the Seahawks play on Sunday. The Patriots, he said, have a Hall of Fame quarterback and coach and a stout defense that should not be taken for granted. If the Seahawks win, though, Allen may break out his guitar and jam with his band at the celebration party the way he did last year.
This time, though, he will use the custom-built amplifier he ordered with volume controls that go to 12, a homage to the team’s fans, who are known as the 12th Man.
“You can’t use it all the time, just on important occasions,” Allen said Saturday. “The fans have just been unbelievable, both last year and this year, and even before, and it will be interesting to see tomorrow.”
