Dante Scarnecchia, Mike Vrabel Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday closed to public

The New England Patriots will induct franchise legends Dante Scarnecchia and Mike Vrabel into their Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 21. As was announced by the team on Thursday, however, the ceremony will not be open to the general public.

Because of weather concerns, the event will be moved indoors. Due to the resulting capacity constraints, the ceremony will be attended by Patriots alumni, invited guests, and a limited number of fans who can register for tickets online.

The Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony traditionally takes place at the Gillette Stadium entry plaza and is free for fans to visit. This year’s version would have been the first in front of the renovated arena.

Instead, fans will have to follow the festivities starting at 12 p.m. ET on either TV38 in Boston or online. Pats Pulpit will provide a live stream.

Dante Scarnecchia won five Super Bowls as the Patriots’ offensive line coach and spent 34 seasons with the organization over three separate stints (1982-88, 1991-2013, 2016-19). The fourth contributor to join the Hall of Fame, he was hand-picked by owner Robert Kraft back in April.

Mike Vrabel, on the other hand, earned Hall of Fame recognition by winning a fan vote earlier this year. A founding member of the Patriots’ dynasty, he appeared in a combined 142 regular season and playoff games over an eight-year span, and helped bring three Super Bowls to New England.

Scarnecchia and Vrabel will be the 33rd and 34th inductees into the Patriots Hall of Fame. No. 35 has also already been announced and will officially join them in 2024: long-time starting quarterback Tom Brady.