Robert Kraft’s Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy is back in the news thanks to a lengthy feature story from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. that chronicles the efforts by Kraft and those around him to get the Patriots owner enshrined in Canton.
Van Natta’s ESPN colleague, Adam Schefter, made it very clear where he stands on the matter when he made his weekly appearance on The WEEI Afternoon Show with Andy Hart and Christian Arcand on Wednesday. Listen to the full segment above.
“It's not even a question,” Schefter said. “It's ridiculous that he's not. To me, it's absurd considering all that he's done for that franchise, for that area, for the league. He is not even a borderline Hall of Famer. He is 100 percent a Hall of Famer. And the fact that he's not in -- it always pisses me off that these things are drawn out longer than they should be. What are we talking about?
“Like this year, I remember when I was a voter and I was campaigning or arguing on behalf of Randy Gradishar, the former Broncos linebacker, and he didn't get in. And the years went by, and he got a lot older, and lo and behold, Randy Gradishar got in this year. What did I miss in the 20 years that he didn't get in? Did something happen? Did he all of a sudden become a Hall of Famer from the time that I was arguing his case to now? To me, it's absurd. People are made to wait way longer than they should, and they don't get to enjoy it as long as they should. Ken Stabler gets into the Hall of Fame after he's lost his life. All of a sudden he became a Hall of Famer? He was Hall of Famer all along.
“Robert Kraft is a Hall of Famer today, tomorrow, yesterday. But let's make him wait. Let's make him wait. Let's draw it out longer than we should. Let's make it more complicated and involved than we should. Are you kidding me? You're talking about one of the most successful franchises in the history of sports, maybe the most during that stretch. He's the owner of the team, and he's not in the Hall of Fame? Why? Why isn't he in?”
Van Natta’s story cited Spygate as Kraft’s “biggest hurdle among voters,” and some voters he talked to also claimed they were turned off by the incessant campaigning, led by Patriots vice president of communications Stacey James.
Schefter countered both points.
“Is [Spygate] going to be used against Tom Brady when he's up for the Hall of Fame?,” Schefter said. “Is it going to be used against Bill Belichick when he's up for the Hall of Fame? Ty Law? Willie McGinest? What are we talking about? Like, it's all part of the history.
“I don't care that he lobbied, allegedly. Who cares? Everybody lobbies. Everybody lobbies. Randy Gradishar used to call me back in the day asking for help and how he could get in. Is that any different? This may be at a higher level, if that's what occurred. Like, what are we talking about? To me, again, you're getting me worked up over a process where these voters hold the power to decide when, when somebody gains entry – when.
“Let me say something: Robert Kraft is going to get into Pro Football Hall of Fame. OK? I don't know whether it's going to be this year, next year, in a decade. What are we doing? What are we doing? Put him in. He belongs. That's where he should be. It's ridiculous that he's not. There's no reason for him not to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Kraft, who has owned the Patriots since 1994, is the only NFL owner who has won six Super Bowls. The Rooney family has won six as owners of the Steelers, but split across two different individual owners (Art Rooney for the first four, Dan Rooney for the most recent two).
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