It’s Ridiculous That Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick Weren’t First-Ballot Hall of Famers

The Hall of Fame voting lost credibility this time around. Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick failed to receive first-ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

When the most successful owner–coach tandem in the history of the sport doesn’t walk straight into Canton on the first try, there is an issue with the process. 

Bill Belichick 

Let’s start with Belichick, because this one is crazier than Robert Kraft. Belichick is the best coach in NFL history and it isn’t even close. 

Six Super Bowl titles as a head coach. Nine Super Bowl appearances overall. Seventeen division titles. A coaching tree that spans decades. 

Belichick changed the game of football, but the voters didn’t seem to care. They used a couple things against him, changing the precedent for first-ballot Hall of Fame coaches. 

The argument against Belichick usually centers on two things: his record without Tom Brady and his two scandals. Belichick without Brady wasn’t successful, but all coaches need a great quarterback to thrive in the NFL. 

There hasn’t been one dominant coach who wasn’t paired with an elite quarterback. For Spygate and Deflategate, the Patriots still would’ve won Super Bowls during these eras, and the franchise paid its price for the mistakes. 

Robert Kraft

Kraft was an owner who transformed one of the league’s most forgettable franchises into the gold standard of professional sports. Before Kraft bought the Patriots in 1994, the team was financially unstable, culturally irrelevant, and on the verge of relocation. 

Six Super Bowl championships. Nine AFC titles. Twenty years of sustained excellence. This was all thanks to Kraft’s guidance at the helm. 

Kraft invested his time and effort into everything needed to win Super Bowls, and he is on the verge of another this Sunday against the Seahawks. Ownership matters, and the Patriots return to the big game without Bill Belichick and Tom Brady shows how dominant Kraft has been in his NFL tenure. 

Kraft was likely left out because of off-field controversies and politics. It also could be jealousy because people hate winners. 

What makes this even more frustrating is the precedent it sets for coaches and owners in the future. If Belichick and Kraft aren’t first-ballot Hall of Fame selections, there will never be a combo who gets in right away. 

That sends the wrong message about what the Hall of Fame is supposed to represent. This isn’t a popularity contest or a morality play. 

The Super Bowl

Patriots’ jealousy has always been a commonality in the NFL and it could get worse on Sunday. For Kraft, he has the chance to win his seventh Super Bowl on Sunday as an owner.

This game will be very tough for the Patriots because the Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL. Nevertheless, New England has done a great job winning Super Bowls as underdogs under Kraft’s ownership. 

Their first Super Bowl win in 2002 against the Rams came as a double-digit underdog. Therefore, this is just another game for the Patriots as they’re just +4.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook in this game. 

Both Kraft and Belichick deserved first-ballot Hall of Fame nods, but the argument will only get stronger for at least the owner if they win the big game on Sunday. The Patriots represent football excellence and it has been this way since Kraft bought the team.

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