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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is reportedly angry that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he hasn’t received that same honor yet.
Jones, who was enshrined in 2017 as a contributor to the game, was the first owner in NFL history to lead his team to three Super Bowl titles in his first seven years of ownership and have had 18 postseason appearances since he bought the Cowboys in 1989.
Robert Kraft, on the other hand, has seen his Patriots make the playoffs 21 times since he took over as owner in 1994, winning six Super Bowls.
So why has the 83-year-old Kraft been denied membership into the Hall of Fame?
“There’s no box that Bob Kraft doesn’t check to get into the Hall of Fame,” Hall of Fame NFL general manager Bill Polian told ESPN. “When he didn’t get in last year, I lost sleep over it. I’m still sick at heart about it.”
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who won five Super Bowls as owner of the 49ers, is in the Hall of Fame and he was barred from active control of the 49ers for a year by the NFL after he pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to report a felony in the 1998 corruption case of Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana.
When Jerry Jones was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, Kraft reportedly told a confidant, “He hasn’t been to the NFC title game in two decades and he gets in? How does that work?”
Kraft and Jones have notoriously butted heads in the past.
Kraft not only hasn’t gotten into the Hall, but not once has the subcommittee even forwarded his name for consideration by the 50 selectors. To his supporters, the annual shutout is a baffling, aggravating mystery.
A dozen Hall voters, who rarely discuss their deliberations, told ESPN that each time Kraft was snubbed, the campaign on his behalf became more urgent and inventive. The selectors lean on a variety of reasons for denying Kraft while approving coaches and a scout from decades ago — and even a referee. The voters said the case for Kraft has been hurt by multiple Patriots cheating scandals, along with a selection system that until now has pitted coaches against owners. They even mention Kraft’s dismissed charges after two visits to a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlor.
Dan Rooney of the Steelers, Ralph Wilson of the Bills, and Pat Bowlen of the Broncos are the other owners to have made the Hall of Fame.
According to ESPN, a half dozen Hall of Fame voters cited Spygate, Deflategate and the massage parlor incident in Florida are the reasons why Kraft has been denied.
“Some voters believe he was part of the biggest cheating scandal in NFL history,” a veteran Hall voter said, referring to Spygate. “That’s a very tough one to overcome.”
Still, it’s not like Jerry Jones hasn’t been involved in his share of scandals. Most of those have come after his enshrinement, however.