The Patriots’ head coach met with the media on Friday.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 is slowly starting to take shape. And while the eventual players, coaches and contributors to receive pro football’s highest individual honor will not be announced until February, there have been some news lately.
First was the reveal of the modern-era player semifinalists, a group including several players with ties to the New England Patriots. Later, news broke that Patriots owner Robert Kraft would once again not make it out of committee in his own bid to become a Hall of Famer — a 13th straight year he has failed to advance past the semifinals.
Friday, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked about both topics.
“I don’t know how that process works, but I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving than Robert Kraft to be in the Hall of Fame,” Mayo said about Kraft.
He also spoke about one of his former teammates, Vince Wilfork, advancing to the next round in the process.
“When I came into the league in 2008 and I was Rookie of the Year, it was all because of those guys up front. It started with Vince at the nose,” he added when speaking about Wilfork. “Honestly, for a defensive lineman, he was a dominant player. Sometimes the stats don’t do it justice, but he was a dominant player for a very long time. I hope he gets in. I don’t have a vote, but I hope he gets in.”
Wilfork is among seven former Patriots players — including two who never appeared in a game for them — to get one step closer to Canton. For Robert Kraft, meanwhile, the waiting game continues.