Long-time New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will not be elected into this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Bill Belichick on the high-profile list of snubbed names.
Kraft has won six Super Bowls as owner of the Patriots since buying the team for $172 million in 1994, and the franchise is now said to be worth upwards of $9 billion.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter was the first to report that Kraft has not been selected for entry into this year’s Hall of Fame class, which is due to be announced on Thursday night at NFL Honors.
The news of Kraft’s omission comes just days after his legendary coach Belichick was also left out, with both failing to reach the required 40 of 50 votes for enshrinement.
Much like Belichick, Kraft was also a first-time Hall of Fame finalist in 2026 that will now not make it to Canton until at least 2027.
Last week, the 84-year-old was one of the first to speak out strongly against the voting panel for their snub of Belichick, calling him ‘the greatest coach of all-time.’
Robert Kraft will not be enshrined in the Hall of Fame after falling short of the required votes
Both Kraft (R) and his legendary coach Bill Belichick have been snubbed from the 2026 class
He added that he ‘unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.’
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the Hall of Fame credentials of both Belichick and Kraft at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday, and he insisted that both will one day be enshrined.
‘Bill Belichick’s record goes without saying, same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who is also a candidate,’ Goodell said. ‘They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers.’
The snub for both Patriots icons will come as a blot at the start of a huge week for the team, which faces the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl showdown.
Before Kraft purchased the team, it had won 225 games in its history. In the years since, it has won 374, including six Super Bowls in a remarkable period of success.
Kraft hired Belichick in 2000, and New England won the Super Bowl in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
He is already the owner with the most Super Bowl wins and he has the chance to further extend that record in Santa Clara on Sunday evening.
Kraft has won six Super Bowls as owner of the Patriots, and that could become seven this week
Belichick (left) and Kraft (right) visit the White House to meet Donald Trump in April 2017
There has been some speculation in recent days over the reasons for Belichick and Kraft’s snubs from the Hall of Fame, with some suggesting that it comes down to their previous Deflategate and Spygate scandals.
It was suggested that voters had tried to punish both Patriots legends by making them wait to enter Canton.
Kraft, meanwhile, also has a further scandal on his resume, after he was involved in a 2019 Florida prostitution sting.
He faced charges for soliciting paid sex at a day spa, though he pleaded not guilty and the charges were later dropped after a court ruled the surveillance videos were inadmissible due to privacy violations and unlawful police tactics.
