A lengthy ESPN.com feature story published Wednesday detailed Robert Kraft's years-long quest to get elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which to date has come up short.
But most of author Don Van Natta Jr.'s piece focused on the efforts of those around the New England Patriots owner -- especially team vice president of media relations Stacey James -- to get Kraft into Canton.
So, while Kraft obviously is at the center of his own Hall of Fame campaign, it's worth asking how he feels personally after repeatedly coming up short in Hall of Fame voting. Our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran provided some interesting insight into that question on the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
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"When I've talked to people post-Hall of Fame (voting), whether it be Stacey (James), whether it be (Kraft's son and Patriots team president) Jonathan Kraft ... those people are more crestfallen than they say Robert is," Curran said, as seen in the video player above.
"Robert, when I've asked, 'So, how's Kraft doing with this?' He's actually all right with it. He just doesn't expect to get in now, so he doesn't have his hopes up. He's had his hopes up too many times."
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Kraft has been on several Hall of Fame ballots over the years in the "coach/contributor" category but has fallen short every time and never advanced past the semifinal round. So, while it's clear Kraft would love to get into the Hall of Fame and is irked that some of his contemporaries have been inducted before him -- Kraft viewed Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' Hall of Fame induction in 2017 as an "insult," according to Van Natta -- all those years of falling short may have dulled the sting of being snubbed.
"Kraft is certainly not ambivalent, but he's had the football pulled away from him few times too many to get too bent out of shape about it," Curran added.
Kraft would have reason to be frustrated; the Brookline, Mass., native helped transform an NFL doormat into arguably the most successful franchise in professional sports, overseeing six Super Bowl titles and 10 AFC championships since purchasing the Patriots in 1994. He'd seem to have more than enough credentials to make the Hall, and the reasons for leaving him out -- the team's connection to scandals like Spygate and Deflategate and Kraft's own personal scandal involving the Orchids of Asia massage parlor -- don't hold much merit considering the past transgressions of other NFL owners in Canton.
It sounds like Kraft is resigned to his current fate, however -- or at least is done riding the emotional roller-coaster of the annual voting process.
Also in this episode:
- Can the Patriots be an efficient passing offense if teams start shutting down their run game?
- Breaking down what to expect from the Seahawks offense/
- Can the Patriots offense move the ball against a strong Seattle secondary and pass rush?
- Tom and Phil make their picks in this week’s “Total Insight.”