How Robert Kraft’s Solicitation Case Impacts Hall Of Fame Induction Hopes in 2020

Robert Kraft might not escape his prostitution-solicitation saga unscathed, after all.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame probably will delay the New England Patriots owner’s induction into its ranks by at least one year, an anonymous Hall of Fame voter told The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin last week. Kraft was considered a shoo-in for induction in 2020 as a “contributor,” but the Hall of Fame believes adding him so soon after Florida prosecutors charged him with solicitation of prostitution might become an unwanted distraction during the NFL’s 100th-anniversary celebration year.

“‘That ship has sailed’ for this year, one Hall voter told me,” Volin wrote in his “Sunday Football Notes” column.

The voter didn’t rule out the Hall of Fame inducting Kraft in 2020 but he believes his peers will induct ex-New York Giants executive George Young as a “contributor” in next year’s class, instead.

Florida judge Leonard Hanser paused Kraft’s trial last week, giving Palm Beach County attorneys the chance to appeal his previous decision to suppress video evidence pertaining to the case. Kraft is expected to win his legal case in the absence of the spa video and avoid NFL punishment.

Nevertheless, Hall of Fame voters apparently will halt Kraft’s inevitable march toward Canton, Ohio, for at least a year for their own reasons.