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Two members of the New England Patriots dynasty are moving closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick are among five finalists named for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Belichick would fall into the coach category while Kraft would fall into the contributor category.
Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and LC Greenwood were also named finalists in the seniors category.
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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shakes hands with owner Robert Kraft before the game. The Patriots lost to the New York Giants, 10-7, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on November 26. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Members of the 50-person selection committee can vote for three of the finalists, and candidates must receive 80% of the votes to be inducted. If no candidate receives 80% of the votes, the first person to receive the votes is elected, meaning at least one person will be inducted.
No more than three candidates will be selected from the group of five, since only three can obtain the required 80%.
Belichick was hired by Kraft in 2000 and led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles and three other title game appearances during an 18-year span from 2001 to 2018. Belichick’s 333 regular season and playoff wins with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns are second only to Don Shula’s 347. He won AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.
NORTH CAROLINA’S BILL BELICHICK AVOID QUESTIONS ABOUT JORDON HUDSON’S LATEST DRAMA
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA football game against Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Nell Redmond/AP)
Belichick also had success before joining the Patriots, as he won two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
Kraft purchased the Patriots in 1994, and the team’s 10 Super Bowl appearances since then are the most by an owner in NFL history. The team went to the Super Bowl in its third season under Bill Parcells, then nine more times with Belichick as coach.
Kraft has been a member of several NFL ownership committees and played a key role in resolving the 2011 lockout.
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However, relations between Belichick and Kraft have become frosty in recent years. Kraft said during a podcast appearance in May that hiring Belichick was a big risk. Belichick responded by saying that taking the job was a big risk.
Belichick said in September that New England Patriots staff members had been cut from the North Carolina football program, where he now coaches. The legendary coach said that because he is not welcome at the Patriots facility, members of the team’s staff are not welcome at his home.
Regardless of their relationship status, there’s a chance they’ll both enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.
