Robert Kraft’s absence at Adam Vinatieri’s Hall of Fame induction drew a lot of attention from fans. Kraft said he was inconvenienced, but a Boston radio host is not buying the excuse.

“[Kraft is] a billionaire NFL owner,” Rich Shertenleib said on WEEI. “Charter another jet … call somebody. The universe of alternative transportation available to Robert Kraft; it’s considerably larger than ours. The Patriots literally own planes, and that’s what makes this excuse almost comical. ‘Sorry, I missed your introduction because of plane trouble.’ Yeah, it’s a little tougher of a sell when you own planes. And by the way, Canton isn’t Tokyo.

“This wasn’t a surprise event either. Like, I mean, this was about six months ago. … This was the worst excuse.”

On the Greg Hill show, Vinatieri spoke about Kraft’s absence himself and shared what he was told directly. He also mentioned that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady could not make it either, both citing prior commitments that kept them away from Canton. But Shertenleib smelled something fishy.

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“Has he ever had plane problems getting to a Patriots game? Sure doesn’t seem like it,” the host said, pointing out that Kraft never seems to miss a Sunday in the owner’s box. “I smelled a rat the minute I heard that. That just seems like a bad, bad, bad excuse.”

Vinatieri, for his part, seemed to take the absences in stride, noting he still received calls and messages from all three men before the ceremony.

The ceremony was held Aug. 8 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, with Vinatieri joining Drew Brees, Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald and Luke Kuechly in the Class of 2026. But considering what Adam Vinatieri has done for the Patriots, Kraft should have attended the event.

Vinatieri spent his 10 seasons in New England, winning three Super Bowls before moving to the Indianapolis Colts. After 24 seasons in the league, he retired as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points. His highlight reel includes kicks that have been game-changers for his teams, including two in the famous “Tuck Rule” game that sent the Patriots to the 2001 AFC Championship.

Vinatieri also scored the only field goal that helped win a Super Bowl with the game clock having run out. It came in Super Bowl XXXVI, which helped the Patriots edge past the Los Angeles Rams 20-17. He is also behind another one of the four field goals made in the final seconds of regulation.

Those who attended the ceremony definitely gave all five honorees their due respect, but having Brady, Belichick, and Kraft would have made the day even more special for Adam Vinatieri.