The Pro Football Hall of Fame's 50-person selection committee is announcing its anti-Patriots bias loudly and proudly.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, New England owner Robert Kraft, like his former coach Bill Belichick, did not get enough votes to make the Hall of Fame this year.
Kraft was a first-time finalist this year, which was absurd enough in and of itself given he has been eligible for 14 years. Kraft and Belichick were two of the five finalists in the "contributors, coaches and senior players" category, joined by former players Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood.
Each of the 50 people on the selection committee could vote for three of those five to make the Hall of Fame, with 40 of 50 votes required for induction.
After news broke last week that Belichick had been snubbed, there had been some speculation that perhaps voters had prioritized Kraft over Belichick for this year. Instead, it turned out that they simply chose to keep both Patriots legends out.
The Patriots have won six Super Bowls since Kraft bought the team in 1994, giving him more Super Bowls than any owner in NFL history -- just as Belichick has more than any coach in history.
The Patriots this week are making their 11th Super Bowl appearance overall under Kraft's ownership, with a third different head coach. Kraft's first appearance came in 1996 with Bill Parcells, the next nine with Belichick, and now another in Mike Vrabel's first season in charge.
In the wake of Belichick's snub, Kraft released a statement of support last week, saying, "He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer."
Now, Kraft will have to join his former coach in waiting at least one more year.