ESPN’s Adam Schefter shocked the NFL world on Tuesday by reporting that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, was not voted in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
While the football world was still reacting to former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub, debate and discussion intensified after Kraft’s omission.
Stephen A. Smith Sounds Alarm as Hall of Fame Scrutiny Creeps Toward Tom Brady
While the flares from the owner’s Hall of Fame omission are still burning, senior NFL analyst Stephen A. Smith warned football fans that seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady could be next in line for similar scrutiny.
“So, Belichick’s not in. Kraft’s not in. What you going to do next? You going to deny Tom Brady? You’re going to deny Tom Brady,” The senior ESPN analyst, Smith, started. “If you can’t have Tom Brady up in there as the first ballot Hall of Famer, the credibility of the institution that is the Hall of Fame goes right out the freaking window. It’s over.”
He added, “In the end, you’re talking about an eight-time champion and Bill Belichick, a six-time champion and owner, Robert Craft, a seven-time champion and Tom Brady. Two of them have already been denied first ballot entry. And based on the trend, they’re going to do it to Tom Brady too.”
“An eight-time champion in Bill Belichick, a six-time champion in owner Robert Kraft, a seven-time champion in Tom Brady. Two of them have already been denied first-ballot entry, and based on the trend, they’re going to do it to Tom Brady too.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/qmC2RE9NnW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 3, 2026
Smith said that there isn’t an athlete in any sport, in America or anywhere else in the world, who would argue that Tom Brady is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He added that whatever people are planning to do next seems to follow a growing trend. Smith noted that under a new system, coaches, senior contributors, and others could be grouped together and selected from the same pool, but he made it clear he doesn’t care for that.
Brady retired for good after the 2022 season (announced in February 2023), meaning his five-year waiting period ends after the 2027 season. That makes Brady first eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028, which is the Class of 2028 ballot.
Everybody knows what Brady has meant to the game. The former Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar quarterback has remained in the hearts of people across the United States for 23 years, widely regarded as the greatest football player in NFL history.
A seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time league MVP, 15-time Pro Bowl selection, and whatnot. This resume speaks for itself when it comes to getting into the Hall of Fame.
It would not be an exaggeration to say it would be a loss for the Pro Football Hall of Fame if Brady is not inducted on the first ballot, along with eight-time Lombardi Trophy winner Belichick and the NFL owner with the most Super Bowl titles, Kraft.
A frustrated Belichick responded, “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough? What does a guy have to do?” News of Kraft not receiving enough votes for first-ballot Hall of Fame induction came a week after Belichick’s omission.
