CANTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – “It’s not you, it’s me,” must be the saying in Foxboro. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft did not receive enough votes for selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ESPN reported Tuesday. Last week, there were confirmed reports that former head coach Bill Belichick, who led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls and six championships over 24 seasons, also is not part of the Class of 2026 to be enshrined in this tiny Ohio town, this summer.
The new Hall of Fame class will be revealed Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.
Belichick and Kraft were among the five finalists competing in the same category — contributors, coaches and senior players who last played in 2000 or earlier. Kraft qualified as the contributor finalist and Belichick as the coach.
Former players Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood filled out the list of finalists and none, one, two or all three can have their names called Thursday. To be selected, a finalist needs 40 of the 50 possible votes. If no one reaches that benchmark, the highest vote-getter becomes a Hall of Fame member.
When news spread of Belichick’s failure to reach the voting minimum, Kraft was among those in the football community who expressed disbelief that Belichick was not selected.
“As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer,” Kraft said in a statement.
Kraft, 84, purchased the team and its old stadium for $172 million on Jan. 31, 1994. His purchase kept the franchise from being sold and relocated.
Before his ownership, the team had been to the playoffs six times since its founding as the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960. That includes their 46-10 drubbing by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX after an 11-5 regular season in 1985.
With Kraft and Belichick in charge, the Patriots won the Super Bowls following the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons.
Kraft’s investment in the Patriots was a wise one. In 2025, he sold 8% of the shares in the team for $720 million, giving the team a $9 billion valuation.
Kraft’s Patriots will appear in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in Santa Clara. A win would give New England a record seventh NFL title in the Super Bowl era, breaking a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
–Field Level Media