Feuding Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft could enter the Hall of Fame together. Wouldn’t it be great?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame gave us the setup. It’s up to the voters to deliver.
If they get it right, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft will head to Canton, Ohio, together, permanently linked as members of the Class of 2026.
What a fitting, poetic ending that would be for a relationship that has captivated our football audience for decades — first as a partnership that helped build a dynasty, more recently as a friendship fractured seemingly beyond repair, but always, as two-thirds of a trio that changed New England’s sports fortunes forever. Along with quarterback Tom Brady, a slam-dunk Hall of Fame candidate when he becomes eligible in 2028, Belichick and Kraft turned a moribund, middling franchise into the NFL gold standard.
For that, they both deserve Hall of Fame enshrinement. Getting there together would be icing on the Boston cake.
“It feels like perfect timing,” former Patriot Devin McCourty said in a text exchange. “I’m excited because I think of all the great people they brought together to do special things. Them going in together will be a reunion for so many. Everyone will be able to tell them thank you and give them their flowers.”
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Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick were in charge as the Patriots made nine trips to the Super Bowl.David L. Ryan
Maybe it would go a long way in melting their recent frostiness. As the last few years of Belichick’s coaching tenure limped to his inevitable departure, the contrasting views of how it all went wrong, and how it all went down, have led to public sniping between owner and coach.
Almost immediately after their stilted attempt to part on good terms with a quickly organized news conference in January 2024, the fault lines erupted. Kraft subsequently insisting he’d actually “fired” Belichick and recounting what a “risk” he’d taken in hiring the coach away from the Jets, then Belichick firing back with a statement about how it was he who had actually taken the “risk” on Kraft and the Patriots. Kraft producing a one-sided, 10-part Apple TV docuseries about the dynasty years and Belichick bristling at how much the owner took credit for the multi-decade championship run. Belichick believing Kraft torpedoed his NFL coaching chances, then him taking the job at the University of North Carolina and publicly barring Patriots scouts from his practices.
The wall of silence continues. Put them together in the same Hall of Fame class and maybe it begins to crumble, much the way we saw Bill Parcells soften toward Kraft when inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame this year.
Based on the logistics, it won’t be easy to make it happen, and we’ll get to that in a minute. But for a franchise that has made a habit of beating the odds, beginning with the upstart, underdog 2001 season and the first of six Super Bowl titles in 18 years, I can’t help but wonder, “Why not?”
Let’s start with the math. It’s not great. Belichick and Kraft officially became finalists last week, included in the group of five advanced by the committee that chooses one coach (Belichick), one contributor (Kraft), and three senior playing candidates (quarterback Ken Anderson, running back Roger Craig, and defensive standout L.C. Greenwood). The 50-person selection committee can vote for three of the finalists, and anyone that earns 80 percent of the votes is in, with a maximum of three Hall of Famers.
Belichick should be a slam dunk, which makes the road for Kraft a bit narrower. If Belichick gets a nod from each of the 50 voters, as he should as one of the greatest and winningest NFL coaches of all time, the only one with eight Super Bowl rings, that leaves 100 remaining votes for the other four candidates. Kraft, who never before reached this far in the process — Belichick made it in his first year of consideration — would need to get 40 of those 100 remaining votes to get in. If even a handful of the committee believes players should be prioritized ahead of contributors (a.k.a. owners), and if another handful believes Craig, Anderson, and/or Greenwood should have been elected years ago, Kraft could get squeezed out.
That would be a shame.
Even Belichick seemed to see the beauty in the symmetry. Despite his recent barbs thrown New England’s way — who can forget his mumbled, “It’s clear I’m not welcome at [the Patriots’] facility so they’re not welcome at ours. It’s very simple,” regarding the pro scouts — the statement he put out on social media after being named a finalist carried a more conciliatory tone.
“To be in this position is extremely humbling,” wrote Belichick. “I am honored to be named the Coaching Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Thank you to the Selection Committee and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I am thankful for the organizations and thousands of players and coaches that I worked with for my 49 years in the NFL. This is a cherishable reflection of all of my teammates throughout my NFL career.
”Congratulations to the other finalists, Roger Craig, Kenny Anderson, L.C. Greenwood, and of course, Robert Kraft. I hope to see all of the deserving Patriots selected this year.”
Of course, Robert Kraft. And of course, Bill Belichick.
Make it happen, voters.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her @Globe_Tara.
