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Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Parcells wants Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick to join him in Canton next year.
Kraft and Belichick were named among five Hall of Fame finalists last week. Parcells told MassLive’s Karen Guregian that inducting both Patriots icons is an easy call.
“Most of these voting things have wound up political, but you can’t dispute what they’ve accomplished,” Parcells said. “When you’ve accomplished more than anybody else, it would be pretty ludicrous if it didn’t result in them getting in there.”
Belichick worked under Parcells with three organizations (Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets) before steering New England to six Super Bowl championships as head coach. He won two more Super Bowls with the Giants as Parcells’ defensive coordinator and is second in all-time coaching wins, playoffs included, behind Don Shula.
The current North Carolina head coach advanced to the final stage in his first year of eligibility. On the other hand, Kraft has spent over a decade without receiving the Hall of Fame nod.
The CEO and chairman cleared the sub-committee for the first time, presenting the opportunity for Kraft to be enshrined alongside Belichick shortly after the Patriots legends parted ways. Parcells, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, feels Kraft warrants the recognition.
“I think he should get in, don’t you?” Parcells asked. “He’s very deserving. Look what the franchise has become.”
Parcells and Kraft also had a fractured relationship after he defected to the Jets in 1997, but the 84-year-old insisted, “Everything’s good with us” now. He anticipates Kraft and Belichick will also eventually bury the hatchet.
Kraft and Belichick each require 80 percent of the Hall of Fame committee’s vote to get elected into the 2026 class in February.
