Robert Kraft reportedly questioned why Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2017 while the Patriots owner is still waiting for his own induction. Yes, Kraft has had a more successful ownership career than Jones, but Kraft’s track record also includes a previous controversy that has reportedly delayed his Hall of Fame induction.
Despite the six Super Bowl wins (the most ever for an owner), 10 Super Bowl appearances (also the most ever for an owner) in addition to his roles in keeping the Patriots in New England, ending the 2011 NFL lockout and his role in brokering lucrative broadcast deals for the league, a small group of anti-Kraft voters apparently cannot look past one facet of Kraft’s ownership tenure.
“Some voters believe he was part of the biggest cheating scandal in NFL history,” a veteran Hall of Fame voter told ESPN in a story detailng Kraft’s Hall of Fame struggle. “That’s a very tough one to overcome.”
In 2007, the Patriots were fined $250,000 and docked a first-round pick for illegally videotaping the Jets’ signals during New England’s Week 1 win over new York. Then-Patriots coach Bill Belichick — who is considered a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible for induction — was fined $500,000.
Kraft has denied knowledge of Spygate and said that he called Belichick a “schmuck” back then for attempting to steal signs during the recent Apple TV+ documentary on the Patriots’ dynasty. Bill Polian, a Hall of Fame inductee who lost several playoff games to Kraft’s Patriots during his years as Colts general manager, came to Kraft’s defense during a conversation with fellow voters last year.
“I told them that Mr. Kraft knew nothing about Spygate in advance,” Polian told ESPN, “and [he] took whatever steps he needed to take after it was found out that it did not happen again.”
Spygate is an undeniable stain on Kraft’s resume, but should it keep arguably the most successful owner in NFL history out of the Hall of Fame? As longtime NFL writer and Hall of Fame Peter King recently said, there are plenty of imperfect people who are currently wearing gold jackets.
For example, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the first NFL owner to win five Super Bowls, was inducted in 2016 despite losing the 49ers in 2000 due to his connection to an extortion case. Back then, the voters obviously (and rightfully) felt that his contributions to the NFL outweighed his mistake.
“Has there ever been a player, a coach, an owner, a commissioner who has a perfect résumé? Who has never done anything wrong?” King said. “Look at Joe Namath. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns — he’s in the Hall of Fame.”
While it may be the most damming reason, Spygate isn’t the only reason why Kraft is still not in the Hall of Fame. A dozen Hall voters also mentioned Deflategate and the dismissed charges after Kraft’s two visits to a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlor. Some voters have also been turned off by Kraft’s own efforts (the Apple TV+ documentary and a 2020 book chronicling the Patriots’ dynasty that Kraft contributed to) to bolster his case.
Despite all of this, it does appear that the 83-year-old Kraft’s wait may be coming to an end soon, now that the Hall’s nine-member contributors-only committee will consider owners without competition from coaches. A “majority” of the committee members are Kraft supports, according to ESPN.
Jason Cole, a veteran Hall of Fame voter, recently said that Kraft’s recent Hall of Fame push, “just shows how desperate he is, but he’s desperate because no one deserves to get in more than him.”
