Robert Kraft might just make the biggest cut of his storied NFL tenure next year.
The New England Patriots owner sits atop of shortlist of candidates for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the expanded class of 2020, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported Saturday, citing a source close to the process. Kraft, former New York Giants general manager George Young and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue are among the leading candidates to enter the Hall next year as “contributors.”
The Hall of Fame usually inducts between four and eight NFL greats each year but it is considering adding 20 to its ranks next year to coincide with the NFL’s 100th anniversary celebration.
The Patriots have won six Super Bowls under Kraft’s stewardship. He once was considered a shoo-in for induction in 2020, but a source told Volin in May the Hall of Fame believes adding him so soon after Florida prosecutors charged him with solicitation of prostitution might distract from the NFL’s 100th-anniversary celebration year.
Florida judge Leonard Hanser paused Kraft’s trial in late May, giving Palm Beach County attorneys the chance to appeal his previous decision to suppress video evidence pertaining to the case. Kraft is expected to win his legal case in the absence of the spa video and avoid NFL punishment.
Those shifting legal dynamics might have changed the Hall of Fame’s thinking since then about honoring Kraft’s contributions to football.
