Patriots players react to reported Robert Kraft Hall of Fame snub

Roughly one week after the football world learned that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick won't be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection, a report revealed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft also didn't receive enough votes from the 50-person selection committee to be included in this year's Hall of Fame class. 

Later in the day, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he felt it was "unfortunate" Kraft won't become a Hall of Famer this year. Multiple Patriots players also expressed disbelief over Kraft's Hall of Fame snub.

Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick Hall of Fame decisions "shocking" to Patriots players

"If he doesn’t deserve it, I don’t know who does," New England linebacker Christian Elliss said about Kraft, per Karen Guregian of MassLive. "At the end of the day, that’s how I feel about it. I’m not going to hide my feelings. I don’t really get what the Hall of Fame is doing, whether it’s Bill or Robert Kraft. At the end of the day, we can only control what we can control. Those guys have been great for a long time. It’s kind of shocking, to be honest."

Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the Patriots from 2001 through the 2008 season. In total, Kraft and Belichick guided the franchise to six Super Bowl titles from 2000 through the 2019 campaign. 

However, it appears to outsiders that at least some voters decided to hold the "Spygate" and "Deflategate" scandals against Kraft and Belichick regarding Hall of Fame inductions that seemed to be foregone conclusions. 

"I think that’s crazy, especially being one of the winningest programs in sports history," Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins said about the Kraft news. "I don’t understand it." 

Patriots players know they have "a great owner" 

Heading into this coming Sunday's Super Bowl LX showdown between New England and the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only franchises in NFL history to have won six Super Bowl championships. 

"He’s a great owner, you know," Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte added about Kraft. "We see him a lot. He supports us. He’s on the field a lot when we practice. It’s good. Every time we talk, it’s good conversation. He’s a great owner."

Perhaps Boutte and Co. will now have some extra motivation to win for Kraft when they step onto the Levi's Stadium field on Feb. 8.