Longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will not be part of this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class, and neither will be franchise owner Robert Kraft. As reported by ESPN on Tuesday morning, Kraft also failed to get enough support among the 50 voters.
A first-time finalist this year, Kraft was one of five total candidates in the coach, contributor and senior player categories. Up to three of those five were eligible for induction if they got at least 40 votes; if all candidates failed
to get to that number, the top vote-getter would make it.
Apparently, neither Belichick nor Kraft met that threshold and also lost out to at least one other finalist in total votes received. As a consequence, one of the senior players — Roger Craig, Ken Anderson or L.C. Greenwood — will be inducted over them. He will enter the Hall of Fame alongside between three and five modern-era inductees.
For Kraft, meanwhile, the Hall of Fame wait will continue. While he did make it past the committee stage for the first time in 14 attempts, he still came up short in the end.
The reason why is anybody’s guess. However, it has been suggested in the past that a series of scandals involving both his team and himself as well as overeager lobbying on his behalf have cooled voters’ enthusiasm about his candidacy.
What cannot be a reason is a lack of accomplishments. After buying the Patriots in 1994, Kraft oversaw the franchise’s turn from an afterthought into the NFL’s most successful operation. With Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady running the show, Kraft’s team won six Super Bowls — an unprecedented feat in the salary cap era. On Sunday, the Patriots will play in their 11th title game with him as their owner.
