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SANTA CLARA — Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said it is “unfortunate” that franchise owner Robert Kraft was reportedly not selected for entry into this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
“In my experiences with Robert, he’s more than deserving of being in the Hall of Fame,” Vrabel said Tuesday during New England’s media availability just outside the team’s hotel. “I’m not in charge of deciding when that happens.”
Like former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Kraft also did not receive the required minimum 40 votes from the 50-member selection committee, according to sources cited by ESPN.
“I appreciate the relationship that I’ve had with him, and the success as a player and now as a coach,” Vrabel said. “He’s done everything that we’ve needed and provided the support that we’ve needed as a staff and a team. So, I’m glad that he’s back here [at the Super Bowl] and continuing to help us do things that will help the team win, and ultimately allow him to be recognized.”
During Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night event in San Jose, Vrabel said he was “confident” Belichick will get in eventually.
“I don’t know the process; I know that everybody’s talking about the process,” Vrabel said. “And however the vote needs to go, I know that Bill is a Hall of Fame coach. Whether he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame this year or next year or the year after that, he’s a Hall of Fame coach.”
Kraft and Belichick were among the five finalists in the coach, contributor, and seniors categories, alongside former players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood. Voters were allowed to vote for only three of those five, as part of a separate selection process from the 15 modern-era player finalists, of which voters were allowed to pick up to 5.
“All that Hall of Fame stuff just kind of blows my mind,” said Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss, who signed with New England as a free agent in 2023. “But Robert Kraft is a special owner, obviously, when you win as much as this organization has. If he doesn’t deserve it, then who does? … He’s been an amazing owner this year, and hopefully we can get that trophy for him.”
Kraft was in attendance for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s state of the league press conference Monday in San Jose and was onstage at the beginning of the Patriots’ portion of Open Night, but he did not speak to the media like other owners have at the Super Bowl in recent years.
The 2026 HOF class will be officially revealed Thursday at the NFL Honors in San Francisco.
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