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SAN FRANCISCO – Just days after it was announced that Bill Belichick was not elected to the Hall of Fame, it was revealed that another pillar of the New England Patriots dynasty would also be out.
Owner Robert Kraft reportedly did not receive enough votes to be inducted into Canton, despite six Super Bowl titles and, this year, 11 appearances.
When asked on the radio in San Francisco by PK Press Club Digital before Super Bowl LX if anyone from the Patriots’ dynasty days would come in, Rob Gronkowski, who won three with New England, joked, “I don’t think so.”
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Rob Gronkowski watches from the sidelines during an NFL game. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
“I think Tom Brady is going to be a fourth-ballot Hall of Famer now,” he continued.
“RKK, I mean, why hasn’t he been to it yet? I mean, this is his 10th Super Bowl (this is his 11th). He’s in the Super Bowl again this year. He was in Super Bowls even before the Belichick-Brady era. I mean, this guy is the best owner in the league.”
Gronkowski also praised Kraft’s ability to develop the game off the field.
“Not just his resume with the New England Patriots, but his resume for football, just dealing with TV rights deals, with the NFL and the NFLPA and all the owners. This guy has a voice for the NFL. He helped grow the game.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaks to the crowd Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, during a Super Bowl LX sendoff rally in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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“RKK, you know, with his resume alone as well as with the New England Patriots, and what he’s done as a whole for the NFL, I mean, he needs to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will be, but he should have already been.”
In a separate interview with PK Press Club Digital last week, Gronk said Belichick’s snub was “stupid.”
“This guy not only has a great resume, but he touched a lot of lives in football in a very positive way. From players to coaches, he gave so many people opportunities and fair opportunities to succeed in life. And that’s what he did. And it’s just amazing that he wasn’t selected. He’s obviously going to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it was just absurd that it wasn’t the first ballot.”
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft watch warmups before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha/USA Today Sports)
Belichick and Kraft won 14 Lombardi Trophy victories together, but it was widely speculated that Belichick was serving de facto punishment for Spygate and Deflategate. Maybe Kraft is getting the same treatment now.
