Patriots' Owner Robert Kraft Is Again Denied a Spot in the NFL Hall of Fame: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Holds News Conference Prior To Teams Start Of Preseason Training.Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty

Patriots ownerRobert Kraftwill not be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2025, according to multiple reports.

Hay, who died in 1944, was a co-founder of the NFL and owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922.

One source told ESPN that the committee’s decision to select Hay over Kraft is a “huge surprise” and “very disappointing.” The source added, “Unless you are an NFL historian, you don’t know who Ralph Hay is.”

Another insider close to the situation noted that Hay was heavily criticized for not wanting to pay players during his time in the league. “Hay didn’t believe players should be paid. He sold the team after only four years,” the source told ESPN, adding, “I don’t know how he is seen as more deserving than Bob Kraft.”

Robert Kraft holding the Super Bowl LI Trophy in 2017 in Houston, Texas.Kevin Mazur/WireImage

In a statement to ESPN on Nov. 21, the HOF said the finalists for the 2025 class will be “announced jointly in early December, once all committees have held their selection meetings.”

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The selection process for the HOF begins with a nomination from the nine-person contributor committee. Once nominated, a group of 50 voters select the future inductees.

But Kraft’s name — he has owned the Patriots since 1994 and won six Super Bowl championships with Bill Belichick andTom Brady— has never advanced past the contributor committee to the 50 voters.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (C) poses for a photo with Tom Brady during a ceremony on Monday, June 9, 2014.Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

Some fans theorize that Kraft is being snubbed from the HOF because of his previous scandals.

In 2007, Kraft and the Patriots werefined and penalizedwhen it was discovered that the organization was filming the signals of opposing teams' head coaches during games under head coach Bill Belichick.

In 2019, he wasaccused of soliciting sex workersat a spa in Florida, with charges later dropped. According to ESPN, one voter on the Hall committee said, “We probably need to put a little distance between the massage parlor and the Hall of Fame.”

source: people.com