Sources: Robert Kraft not voted for Hall of Fame Class of '26 - ESPN

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, like his former head coach Bill Belichick, was not selected for entry into this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class, multiple league sources told ESPN.

Kraft, a first-time Hall of Fame finalist this year, did not receive enough votes from the 50-person selection committee to be included in the Class of 2026, which will be announced Thursday night at the NFL Honors in San Francisco.

Interestingly enough, the Hall of Fame's new voting requirements in 2025 helped pit Kraft against Belichick. Kraft was one of five finalists among contributors, coaches and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Kraft was the contributor finalist and Belichick was the coach, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood the players.

The 50 voters each pick three of the five finalists, and between one to three make it if they get at least 40 votes. If no candidate gets 40 votes, the top vote-getter will be elected. A new rule also made coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five. Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern era players from a group of 15 finalists.

ESPN reported last week that Belichick fell short of the 40 votes needed for induction this year, setting off a torrent of criticism over the longtime coach's exclusion and the Hall of Fame's voting process. Kraft said in a statement last week that Belichick «is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.»

Kraft's exclusion should end the speculation that voters' advocacy for Kraft was what kept Belichick out. It's also possible, in the opinion of some league