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Retired New England Patriot Hall of Famer Tom Brady. Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Former Patriots QB Tom Brady makes statement on Robert Kraft Hall of Fame snub

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 9:40 PM ET

Pro Football Hall of Fame voters must be holding some grudge against the New England Patriots.

Last week, the HOF snubbed former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in his first year on the ballot. New England owner Robert Kraft won't be making a trip to Canton, either. On Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Kraft didn't receive the 40 votes needed to make the HOF. The HOF Selection Committee includes 50 voters.

The rest of the class will be revealed at the NFL Honors on Thursday. After the snubs of the owner and his former coach, ex-Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady joked he's not so sure he'll be selected to the HOF when he becomes eligible in 2028.

Tom Brady reacts to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick HOF snubs

"To me it's not a matter of if they're going to get in, it's just a matter of when they're going to get in," Brady said Tuesday on FS1's "The Herd." "They're tremendous at what they've done in the league. Maybe it's not trending so well for ex-Patriots. Maybe I should be a little concerned here. I think, at some point, this thing is going to go in everyone's direction the right way."

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, sources told ESPN.

The Class of 2026 will be revealed Thursday at NFL Honors in San Francisco, but it will not include Kraft. pic.twitter.com/W0YBwnxsq8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2026

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady should make the HOF on his first ballot. Well, unless voters hold Spygate and Deflategate against him as they did in Belichick's case, but don't expect that to happen.

Kraft, however, will now have to wait for even longer. The 84-year-old owner has been eligible for the HOF since 2013 but was a first-time finalist this year.

Many may credit the Patriots' success in the 2000s and 2010s to Brady, and rightfully so. But let's not overlook Kraft's contributions. Without him, the QB doesn't have six of his Super Bowl rings.

Kraft turned the Patriots from a league doormat into a model organization. In 32 seasons under his ownership, the Patriots have made 11 Super Bowls (two without Brady). Before Kraft arrived in 1994, the Patriots had reached "The Big Game" just once (a 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans).

The Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock). Kraft's now focusing on winning that game after the HOF snub.

"What matters to me is we win Sunday," Kraft told CNBC's "Squawk Box" ahead of the Super Bowl (h/t Schefter). "That's a function of how the team we're invested in and organize is [judged]."

If the Patriots win Sunday, that would further smudge the HOF's reputation. A New England win would highlight another key figure for a prestigious franchise wouldn't be in the Mecca of Football, where he clearly belongs.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

This article first appeared on Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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