It looks like Bill Belichick isn’t the only notable name that will be left out of this year’s NFL Hall of Fame Class.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Patriots owner Robert Kraft will also not be a part of this year’s class of inductees, which is certainly both surprising and disappointing news.
Kraft, who was a finalist for the first time this year, was someone who many thought might have a shot at being a part of this year’s class. Many people who spoke about their decision not to vote for Belichick claimed that they instead had voted for the Patriots’ owner.
How much of that is true now remains to be seen, especially given this latest news.
It’s a surprise for Kraft, primarily because of the role he played in the work stoppage in 2011, which was highly critical at the time for the league. That situation appeared bleak at best, with no resolution in sight and questions looming after the owners had locked out the players while neither side could come to an agreement during negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
During that time, Kraft also put his own personal well-being aside, which was pretty remarkable, given that his wife, Myra, was severely ill as she battled cancer.
She died on July 20th, with her husband eventually being one of the big reasons why the two sides eventually reached a deal not long after, That moment was captured in a heartfelt embrace from then Colts’ center Jeff Saturday, who praised Kraft’s late wife for allowing her husband to make the deal happen.
“A special thanks to Myra Kraft, who even in her weakest moment allowed Mr. Kraft to come and fight this out,” said Saturday during a news conference. “And without him, this deal does not get done. I don’t want to be climatic in any way, but he is a man who helped us save football and we’re so gracious for that, we’re gracious for his family and for the opportunity he presented to get this deal done. So thank you very much, we really appreciate it.”
Fast-forward to where we are now, and it’s certainly puzzling that Kraft remains on the outside looking in, especially given some of the other names that have already been enshrined.
At 84 years old, it would seem fitting that, given both his team’s resume and his role with the NFL, he would be worthy of earning the honor.
Perhaps raising another trophy this Sunday might give him enough ammunition. That would be something that most Patriots fans would like to see, as watching him put on that jacket would definitely mean more than seeing his name one day enshrined with a photo next to it.
Hopefully, by this time next year, the league and the voters will do the right thing while they have the chance and get it done.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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