Robert Kraft will have to wait at least another year before he gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
According to Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN was the owner of the New England Patriots, who in recent years has made a concerted effort to be enshrined in Canton, the Hall’s contributors committee in favor of NFL co-founder Ralph Haye.
Kraft had previously been the favorite to gain grounding, especially with the introduction of a contributors committee. Previously, Kraft had to compete with coaches for induction because a single subcommittee was in charge of selecting non-player names for the ballot, but this year he had to beat out other owners, executives and various in-game figures.
So it’s a bit of a surprise that Kraft didn’t make it, as one ESPN source bluntly put it:
“It’s a huge surprise,” said one of the sources, who insisted on anonymity. “And it’s very disappointing. Unless you’re an NFL historian, you don’t know who Ralph Hay is.”
Hay, who died in 1944, owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1923. Those five years of ownership included a meeting Hay organized that led to the creation of the first incarnation of the NFL.
Kraft’s resume is a little different. The 83-year-old bought a controlling interest in the Patriots in 1994 and has presided over the most successful franchise of the 21st century ever since. Many will credit Tom Brady and Bill Belichick more for those six Super Bowl titles, but Kraft has made it pretty clear he believes he deserves at least some credit.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Kraft’s camp has been privately arguing for his enshrinement for a decade, lobbying voters who oversee both the book and the Patriots dynasty documentaries, which have painted him in a very favorable light. The fact that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is already in is apparently something of a sore spot.
Of course, it’s not like Kraft’s tenure in the NFL has been clean, between the Patriots cheating scandals and his own Florida massage parlor incident. He can only hope that the voters who matter will see it differently next year.