Report: Robert Kraft was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Bill Belichick has company.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft was also not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

When news broke that Belichick wasn’t elected, there was widespread condemnation of the Hall of Fame’s voting process. Kraft’s failure to get in won’t receive that kind of scrutiny, but it will be a disappointment to the Patriots owner, who has long wanted recognition from the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night, but whoever gets in will be overshadowed by who isn’t getting in. That’s especially true of Belichick, but Kraft and Eli Manning, who also reportedly was voted down, will get plenty of attention at a time when the Hall of Fame would prefer to put the attention on those who will be getting their busts in Canton this summer.

Kraft and Belichick were on a five-person ballot that also included former players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood. The 50 Hall of Fame voters were told to vote for three of those five candidates, and any candidate who received 40 votes would get enshrined. Kraft and Belichick fell short of 40. At least one of Anderson, Craig and Greenwood will get in, and it’s possible all three will get in.

But Kraft and Belichick won’t. Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, is reportedly throwing him a big party on enshrinement day. Now that we know Kraft will be available, perhaps he’ll be on the guest list.