Patriots' owner Robert Kraft passed over for Hall of Fame again
FOXBORO -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will have to wait at least one more year to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kraft has been passed over by the Hall's contributor committee once again and will not be up for enshrinement in 2025, according to ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr.
Kraft has been seen as a favorite to get into Canton since the Hall of Fame introduced a contributor committee in 2014. That meant contributors -- an individual who has made outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching -- no longer had to compete with coaches for induction.
But Kraft has been shut out for a 13th time, as the selection committee went with Ralph Hay, who is seen as one of the founding fathers of the NFL. But for many football fans, this is the first time they've ever heard of Ralph Hay.
Robert Kraft's Hall of Fame résumé
Kraft, 83, certainly has the résumé for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Once a season ticket holder, he bought the Patriots in 1994 and the team has become one of the NFL's most successful franchises under his ownership. New England won six Super Bowl titles from 2001-18, giving Kraft the most Super Bowls of any owner in NFL history.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had a lot to do with that success, but Kraft certainly had a hand in the dynasty by bringing Belichick to New England in 2000. He saved the team from relocation and financed the construction of Gillette Stadium. He played a pivotal role in growing the league's finances as the chair of the broadcast committee. Kraft was also credited by both sides for helping to end the NFL lockout in 2011.
Kraft will get his bust in Canton at some point, but it seems like the selection committee wants to make his wait.
Why not Robert Kraft?
One anonymous source told Van Natta Jr. that it's a "huge surprise" that Kraft wasn't selected this year.
"And it's very disappointing," said the source. "Unless you are an NFL historian, you don't know who Ralph Hay is."
Kraft had been making a strong push for enshrinement -- as detailed by Van Natta in September -- with Patriots spokesperson Stacey James helming the campaign since 2012. But that push didn't sit well with folks around the NFL, and several sources told Van Natta that James did not lobby for Kraft this year.
Kraft also received backlash over the last year following the release of the docuseries "The Dynasty," which didn't paint Belichick in a very good light. Mix in some of New England's controversies during Kraft's ownership, including Spygate and Deflategate, and voters have some ammo to snub Kraft. The team's struggles since Brady's departure in 2019 certainly hasn't helped Kraft's case either.
The contributor committee that passes candidates along to the full committee is made up of nine members, most of whom are also members of the overall selection committee. Since 2014, Bill Polian (2015), Ron Wolf (2015), Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. (2016), Jerry Jones (2017), and Bobby Beathard (2018) have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as contributors.
Who is Ralph Hay?
Hay owned the Canton Bulldogs of the American Professional Football Association from 1918 to 1923, and hosted a meeting that eventually led the creation of the first incarnation of the NFL. Still, many around football are shocked by him getting the nod over Kraft.
"Hay didn't believe players should be paid. He sold the team after only four years. I don't know how he is seen as more deserving than Bob Kraft," one source told Van Natta.
Hay, who died in 1944, had never been a finalist until this year. He will still need to get approval from the full selection committee, and needs to receive at least 80 percent of the vote for enshrinement.
