Robert Kraft will not be a member of the class of 2025 inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kraft was passed over by the contributor committee in favor of Ralph Hay, who was a co-founder of the National Football League and was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922, ESPN reported on Thursday.
The nine-member committee passes along a name for consideration by the 50 voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kraft has been considered by a Hall of Fame committee 13 times, which includes this year, and has not moved beyond that every time.
In a statement to ESPN, the Hall of Fame said that the finalists would be “announced jointly in early December, once all committees have held their selection meetings.”
The decision not to advance Kraft’s name shocked at least one voter who called it “very disappointing” and added that very few people outside of football nerds would know who Ralph Hay is.
Another expressed anger to the outlet over the decision.
“Hay didn’t believe players should be paid. He sold the team after only four years. I don’t know how he is seen as more deserving than Bob Kraft,” the person said.
Kraft has owned the Patriots since 1994, and the franchise has been under his stewardship for the six Super Bowl titles and 10 conference championships.
a Super Bowl celebration rally at City Hall in Boston Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. AP
Both are records for most ever by an owner.
Still, it appears that some issues have kept him from getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which includes the infamous Spygate scandal in 2007.
“Some voters believe he was part of the biggest cheating scandal in NFL history,” One Hall of Fame voter told ESPN back in September. “That’s a very tough one to overcome.”
Kraft and his supporters have been attempting to convince voters to get the Pats owner into the Hall of Fame, but it appears it will take another year of campaigning to see if they can finally get the 83-year-old enshrined in Canton, Ohio.