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What they’re saying about Robert Kraft not getting into HOF again
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- What they’re saying about Robert Kraft not getting into HOF again
Robert Kraft will, once again, have to wait to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The New England Patriots owner did not receive enough votes , reports revealed Tuesday morning. The news comes days after it was reported Bill Belichick also did not get into Canton .
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This was the first year Kraft was named a finalist , marking the closest he’s come in his 14 years of eligibility.
Here’s what’s being said about Kraft not making it into the Hall of Fame.
Gary Myers, Hall of Fame voter
“Full transparency: I voted for Robert Kraft. As I mentioned, I also voted for Bill Belichick. Think about this: Since HOFer Jerry Jones (class of ’17) last made it to SB in 1995, Kraft has been to 11 and goes for 7th title Sunday. He’s been to SBs with 3 coaches and 3 QBs. And he’s also done as much for @NFL as any owner. In last 10 yrs, Ed DeBartolo, Jones and Pat Bowlen have made it. New voting process, grouping coach, contributor and 3 seniors, and having them compete for 3 votes, is not working.”
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“Interestingly enough, the Hall of Fame’s new voting requirements in 2025 helped pit Kraft against Belichick. Kraft was one of five finalists among contributors, coaches and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Kraft was the contributor finalist and Belichick was the coach, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood the players.
“Kraft’s exclusion should end the speculation that voters’ advocacy for Kraft was what kept Belichick out. It’s also possible, in the opinion of some league sources, that the voting process contributes to canceling out support that any particular candidate might have gotten.”
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“Perhaps more importantly to the league at large, Kraft has been instrumental in the NFL’s lucrative TV deals. He has chaired the league’s media committee for more than a decade, and he helped secure an 11-year broadcast-rights deal worth $113 billion in 2021.”
“Presiding over six Super Bowl titles and perhaps a seventh would seemingly be enough to put an NFL owner into the Hall of Fame. Sure, Kraft wasn’t on the field winning those championships, but he was responsible for putting the broad structure in place in New England .
“The 84-year-old also had the foresight to hire Belichick in 2000 at the cost of a first-round draft pick. The decision was somewhat contentious at the time given the price the Pats paid to the New York Jets.”
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“Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick should have been in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. It’s now not so much two “snubs” as it is an institutional failure. The Hall has zero excuses not to change their voting system after this year’s unserious flop."
“I don’t want to hear anymore about the process. The voters didn’t do their jobs. If any NFL owner is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, then Robert Kraft deserves to be in.”
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