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SAN FRANCISCO — Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski said it’s “ridiculous” his former coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft will not be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.
“Coach Belichick needs to be in the Hall of Fame, and it needed to be a first ballot,” Gronkowski told Front Office Sports on Radio Row at Super Bowl LX. “Now there’s no such thing as a first ballot Hall of Fame coach. No other coach ever in history should go first ballot.”
The former All-Pro tight end, who won three Super Bowls in New England, is adamant Belichick’s snub should have an impact on other potential Hall of Fame coaches, too. “There’s a guy out there, Andy Reid, but he can’t go first ballot now because Coach Belichick wasn’t first ballot,” he said.
As for Kraft, who has owned the Patriots since 1994, Gronk said he, “should already be in the Hall of Fame. What this guy has done—winningest franchise in history, his 10th Super Bowl now, going to the Super Bowl this year. He went to a Super Bowl before the Belichick-Brady era, as well.”
Gronkowski feels Kraft’s impact goes beyond the Patriots’ on-field success too. “What he has done, not just for the New England Patriots, but for football as a whole with all the TV contracts and everything—both of them should be in the Hall of Fame.”
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