New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel commented on owner Robert Kraft and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick being named as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Long before he was a coach, Vrabel was a player in New England from 2001-2008. He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion and former First-Team All-Pro for the franchise. So if anyone knows what Belichick and Kraft meant to the game of football, it would be Vrabel.
“Oh gosh, I mean I think they are both very well-deserving [of a Hall of Fame induction],” Vrabel said on The Greg Hill Show. “I think, you look at our organization and our franchise with Robert and his leadership, and the success that we’ve had, the development of this stadium and this Patriots Place. …And then obviously the success that Bill had as the head coach here is unprecedented.”
Not all of Vrabel’s former teammates agree.
Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson claimed earlier in the month that he doesn’t view Belichick as a first ballot Hall of Famer due to the multiple scandals during the legendary coach’s NFL run.
“…I don’t know if a coach has had more success than Bill when it comes to championships, but also more negative kind of stories that he’s brought upon himself,” Johnson said on WEEI Afternoons. “And so to say that he deserves to go into the Hall of Fame first ballot, when you consider all of those scandals that he’s been a part of, I don’t agree with. I don’t.”
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