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Two members of the New England Patriots dynasty are one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick are among five individuals named as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Belichick would participate in the coaching category, while Kraft would participate in the contributor category.
Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and LC Greenwood were also named finalists in the senior category.
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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shakes hands with owner Robert Kraft before the game. The Patriots lost to the New York Giants, 10-7, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on November 26. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The members of the 50-person selection committee can vote for three of the finalists, and the candidates must use 80% of the votes to be admitted. If no candidate receives 80% of the vote, the top vote getter will be elected, meaning at least one person will be inducted.
No more than three candidates from the group of five will be admitted, as only three can get the required 80%.
Hired by Kraft in 2000, Belichick led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles and three other title game appearances over an 18-year span from 2001 to 2018. Belichick’s 333 regular season and playoff wins with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns are the second most by the Don Shula Browns, which is the second most by the Co34 Shula AP behind the Don Shula Browns. three times a year.
NORTH CAROLINA’S BILL BELICHICK AVOIDS QUESTIONS ABOUT LATEST JORDON HUDSON DRAMA
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA football game against Charlotte in Charlotte, NC, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Nell Redmond/AP)
Belichick also had success before joining the Patriots, winning two Super Bowls as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator.
Kraft bought the Patriots in 1994, and the team’s 10 Super Bowl appearances since then are the most by any owner in NFL history. The team went to the Super Bowl in its third season under Bill Parcells and then nine more times with Belichick as coach.
Kraft has been a member of several NFL ownership committees and played a key role in resolving the 2011 lockout.
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However, Belichick’s and Kraft’s relationship has cooled in recent years. Kraft said on a podcast appearance in May that hiring Belichick was a big risk. Belichick responded, saying taking that job was a big risk.
Belichick said in September that New England Patriots staffers were banned from the North Carolina football program, where he now coaches. The legendary coach said that because he is not welcome at the Patriots’ facility, team employees are not welcome at his place.
Regardless of the status of their relationship, there’s a chance they’ll both enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.
