Kelley: Robert Kraft Belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

One problem with inducting owners into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is having no set criteria. Coaches can point to victories and titles. Players have stats and honors. So how can an owner get a gold jacket? Whatever New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft has done during his 30-plus years of ownership has not been deemed enough. It is, quite simply, a ludicrous conclusion for the Hall of Fame voters to come to.

If an owner’s rightful place in Canton is based on their team’s success, Robert Kraft belonged in long ago. The Patriots, a franchise with one AFL/AFC Championship in 34 years before he bought the team, has had much more success since. New England has won ten AFC titles and six Super Bowls under Kraft’s watch. Nobody can argue against Kraft’s inclusion if a franchise’s football success determines the worthiness of an NFL owner.

The Hall of Fame voters must believe it’s about more than wins, losses, and hardware. How else to explain recent inductees Eddie DeBartolo (49ers), Jerry Jones (Cowboys), and Pat Bowlen (Broncos) all getting the call over Robert Kraft? Their franchises enjoyed significant success, winning five, three, and two Super Bowls, respectively. None of their franchises achieved the level of success that Robert Kraft’s Patriots teams have.

Also Read – New England Patriots All-Time Staff and Era of the Bill Belichick Era

Robert Kraft having a beautiful trophy collection is not the only reason he deserves to be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The reasons are plentiful.

Keeping the Patriots in New England

If Robert Kraft never existed, there might be no NFL team in New England this season. The Patriots certainly would have been gone. Former owner Victor Kiam wanted to move the team to Jacksonville in the late 1980s. However, Kraft had purchased the stadium and would not let Kiam out of the lease. Eventually, Kiam sold the franchise to James Orthwein.

Orthwein, like Kiam, had one foot out the door when he bought the team. Orthwein planned to move the Patriots to his home city of St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals football team had moved to Arizona in 1988, and Orthwein hoped to bring the NFL back. Kraft was offered a lucrative buyout to rip up the lease but opted against it. With Orthwein unable to move the team, he opted to sell. Kraft, with the benefit of being a landlord for any prospective buyer, was able to purchase the team himself.

#OTD in 1994: Robert Kraft becomes the @Patriots fourth owner in the club’s 35-year history with an agreement to purchase the team from James Orthwein, saving the team from a potential move to St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/wuafh7v9a0

— The Hall presented by RTX (@TheHall) January 21, 2018

The Jacksonville Patriots or St. Louis Patriots would be a reality without Robert Kraft. It’s possible somebody would eventually bring another NFL franchise, or expansion team, to New England. That is far from a given though. The Patriots were a distant fourth in the Boston sports market in those days. They trailed the Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox. Instead of fans waiting years on waiting lists for season tickets, many listened to games on the radio during those down years. Most of the New England Patriots home games got blacked out locally due to poor attendance.

2011 NFL Player Lockout

The NFL began giving out the George Halas Award in 1969. It is presented to an NFL player, coach, or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. In 2012, Kraft became the first NFL owner to win the award. His accomplishments the previous year encompassed much of what makes him a worthy enshrinee.

Robert Kraft was helping to care for his dying wife, Myra Kraft, in 2011. She passed away from ovarian cancer on July 20, 2011. During this same period, the 2011 NFL Player Lockout created a work stoppage. The 2011 NFL season was very much in jeopardy. Kraft cared for and then grieved the loss of his wife during the lockout, which lasted from March 12 to July 25. Yet he still attended meetings and helped the league avoid a catastrophe.

Jeff Saturday, the Pro Bowl center for the Indianapolis Colts, had plenty of reasons to be anti-Kraft. The Patriots and Colts had been bitter rivals for over a decade. During the negotiations, Kraft was an owner, while Saturday was on the NFLPA’s executive committee. The pair were on opposing sides on and off the field. Yet when a deal was signed, Saturday did not mince words in his praise of the Patriots owner.

“Without him, this deal does not get done,” Saturday said of Kraft. “He is a man who helped us save football.”

The New England Patriots won the 2011 AFC Championship and reached Super Bowl 46. It was the sixth time Kraft’s team played on Super Bowl Sunday during his first 17 seasons of ownership.

Television Deal, etc.

As the chairman of the NFL owners’ media committee, Kraft deserves significant credit for the increased revenue the league has enjoyed. He helped negotiate and get several major deals for the league done. The latest was agreed upon in 2021 and was worth over $100 billion for ten years. While the average fan may not care about such things, the National Football League certainly does.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has often honored people for their contributions to the league and the sport. Ensuring an NFL team stays in the Boston media market is a major accomplishment. So is helping the NFL by ending the work stoppage to ensure the 2011 season took place. And helping to secure over $100 billion for the league is excellent for the overall health of the league.

These are not minor accomplishments; they are major ones. And they don’t even include the success of his franchise.

If Robert Kraft’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction is based on the success of the New England Patriots, he deserves to be in. If voters weigh miscellaneous contributions more, he’s deserving there, too.

Kraft has all these things on his resume. He checks all the boxes. So why hasn’t he received the call from Canton yet?

ESPN Article Cites Kraft’s Campaigning

Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN wrote about Robert Kraft’s situation with the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The writer spoke with many of the voters, though only those who supported Kraft’s candidacy did not remain anonymous. The voters and Van Natta offered opinions about what might keep Kraft out of Canton.

The idea of Kraft lobbying for induction was viewed as a turnoff for some voters. The person who’d been most openly campaigning on Kraft’s behalf is New England Patriots Vice President of Communications Stacey James. The article contains many mentions of James, his discussions with voters, his persistence in pleading for Kraft’s induction, and the distaste some voters have for it.

This seems patently unfair. If voters aren’t swayed by James’ arguments for Kraft, fine. But voters shouldn’t discount Kraft’s candidacy because of it. In reality, no campaigning should be needed at all. Robert Kraft should already be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Another detriment to Robert Kraft receiving enough votes was the Patriots’ cheating scandals, specifically Spygate. The NFL punished both Robert Kraft and his franchise through fines and the loss of draft picks. However, these voters are apparently taking it upon themselves to punish him further. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had ordered the tapes be destroyed. Some voters conclude Kraft must be more culpable than is known, but Goodell helped him cover it up. That is finding a man guilty until proven innocent. And, since the video was destroyed on orders of the NFL Commissioner, apparently Kraft will never be proven innocent in their eyes. That seems incredibly unfair.

Other Detriments

In addition to the perceived overzealous campaigning and cheating scandals, two other factors are mentioned in the ESPN piece.

In 2019, Kraft received two misdemeanor charges for soliciting prostitution in a Florida spa. Charges were eventually dropped. However, the damage had been done. The Hall of Fame has inducted many guilty of far worse than what Kraft was accused of. It doesn’t make Kraft’s alleged actions okay, but shouldn’t affect his Hall of Fame candidacy either. Eddie DeBartolo’s legal issues didn’t prevent him from joining the Class of 2016.

The other reported concern of voters was “The Dynasty” book and docuseries. Many saw it as a PR push by Kraft to enhance his legacy and pave his way to Canton. If this was Kraft’s intention, he miscalculated. Not only did it rub some voter the wrong way, it did him no favors with New England fans.

I wrote reviews of each episode of  “The Dynasty” series for Patriots Football Now. They weren’t positive, largely based on the portrayal of Bill Belichick. The longtime Patriots head coach got blamed for anything bad while getting little credit for what was good, such as all the winning. I found the entire affair to be unfair and unnecessary.

Why I couldn't stand Apple TV's "The Dynasty" https://t.co/wsLbWkA0ar

— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) March 19, 2024

Few were more critical of “The Dynasty” than I was but it never crossed my mind that Kraft’s misguided performance should or would cost him support to become a Hall of Famer. The idea that it affected even one voter’s thought process is bizarre.

Three Things Worth Nothing

No. 1 – The Pro Football Hall of Fame has never been a big Patriots fan. Before Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Only one Patriot who spent most of their career with the franchise was inducted before that, John Hannah. Linebacker Nick Buoniconti and cornerback Mike Haynes received gold jackets after starting as Patriots. Each played only half their careers with the Patriots, however, winning Super Bowls elsewhere.

Even dominant Patriots teams that won three Super Bowls between 2001 and 2004 are barely represented. Only Richard Seymour and Ty Law have bronze busts in Canton.

No. 2 – ESPN’s article cited the massage parlor incident used against Kraft by voters. If that’s a factor, his good deeds should be too. Robert Kraft’s philanthropic efforts over the past 30 years are considerable.

No. 3 – Don Van Natta Jr. mentions Cowboys owner Jerry Jones throughout the article. He refers to Jones as Kraft’s archrival, claiming Kraft and supporters reacted to Jones’ 2017 induction with “anger and confusion.” This makes Kraft seem petty and jealous. Van Natta says “The Dynasty” author Jeff Benedict pitched Kraft on a book to give him attention and credit, previously reserved for only Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Van Netta happens to be working on a book of his own. It’s about Kraft’s “archrival” Jerry Jones. Van Natta previously wrote an article about Jones (“Jerry Football“) that was over 10,000 words long. Robert Kraft was not mentioned..

Some news: I’m writing a book about Jerry Jones. Called “The Star,” my book will trace Jones’s remarkable life story and the astonishing rise of the NFL. Thrilled to be back in Jerry’s World. Coming in 2026 from @AvidReaderPress, a @simonschuster imprint. https://t.co/s2SNjGauin pic.twitter.com/Zhsio7SnAH

— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) March 7, 2024

Furthermore, the article potentially takes some shine from Kraft’s Hall of Fame nod when it comes. Some will claim he begged and whined his way in. Others will use it as an opportunity to reiterate points made by anonymous detractors in the piece.

Elect Him Already

Jeff Saturday stated that Robert Kraft saved football in 2011. Without a doubt, he saved the Patriots from relocating out of New England. He has owned the Patriots for 30 full seasons, and his team has played on Super Bowl Sunday in a third of them. Kraft helped solve labor disputes and avoid a strike. He helped finalize lucrative television deals and accomplished amazing things through his philanthropic endeavors. These things should matter. Not whether voters felt Stacey James called once too many times to try and right a wrong.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame holds discussions for candidates in secret. This is unfortunate. Nobody needs to personally stand by their votes, for or against a candidate. This secrecy enables petty grudges and double standards to be applied by voters. There are no repercussions to the person casting the ballot.

No set criteria for what makes one a Pro Football Hall of Fame owner exists. But whichever criteria are applied, it is hard to imagine Robert Kraft doesn’t meet it. He has a successful franchise, has made major contributions to the NFL, and has done incredible work in his community and beyond. Robert Kraft is not perfect, but if the criteria include being a flawless individual, there may never be another Hall of Fame weekend.

An old saying applies here when trying to define what makes one a Pro Football Hall of Fame owner: “I’ll know it when I see it.” It doesn’t take someone with 20/20 vision to see that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is worthy, and the honor is overdue.