Robert Kraft toasts -- not roasts -- Bill Belichick during Tom Brady roast on Netflix

BOSTON -- For the unaware, celebrity roasts are events where a bunch of famous and/or funny people gather in a room so that they can be exceptionally mean to each other for several hours in front of a large audience. It's usually raunchy, unfiltered, and a bit of an odd setup. But more often than not, it works.

Things that don't normally happen at such functions are moments of genuine kindness and appreciation. Yet Robert Kraft felt compelled to try to have one of those with Bill Belichick.

Kraft -- who was seated in the audience -- was called up to the stage by host Kevin Hart to share a shot with Belichick, with whom the Patriots "mutually parted ways" after last year's 4-13 season. It was an unceremonious end to arguably the best coaching tenure in NFL history, and considering a Kraft-backed docuseries airing in February and March didn't shed the kindest light on Belichick, the Patriots' owner may have felt a need to be overly nice to Belichick when given the opportunity to speak about his former coach.

And that he did.

"I want to say this is the greatest coach in the history of the game that did what no one else has done," Kraft said after clinking shot glasses with Belichick. "And having Tom Brady and him was the greatest honor the good Lord gave me. So cheers."

For his part, Belichick kept a mostly stoic face, as he also appeared unsure of what he was supposed to do up there. But he eventually gave a little smile.

Belichick did joke a little bit about that aforementioned Apple TV series, saying it was a 10-part roast of himself.

The Belichick-Kraft relationship may need some mending, and Kraft probably tried to work on that with his heartfelt toast at the roast. From Belichick's perspective, though, the relationship can probably be summed up by simply saying it is what it is.