Pro Football Hall of Fame voters serve former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick a massive dose of disrespect

New England Patriots HC Bill Belichick will NOT be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
Add as preferred source on Google
© Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you asked somebody what the resume of a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach should look like, they’d probably refer you to former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Unfortunately for Belichick, that won’t be the case after today.

In what was his first year of Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility, Belichick has failed to receive the votes needed to advance past the finalist stage. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. report that Belichick fell short by 10 votes, with only 40 of the 50 necessary votes. The committee is comprised of veteran NFL media members, including former NFL head coaches and executives who clashed with Belichick during his tenure with the Pats.

Pro Football Hall of Fame voters deny former Patriots HC Bill Belichick his day in Canton, Ohio

It’s hard to see any situation in which Belichick’s accomplishments would have hurt his case here.
He has the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach, the most Super Bowl appearances as a head coach, the most playoff wins as a head coach, the most playoff appearances as a head coach, the most divisional championship wins as a head coach, and he’s third all-time among NFL head coaches in wins.

What appears to have hurt Belichick in this situation is league politics, at least that’s what ESPN seems to suggest in its report. They reached out to both Belichick and the Pro Football Hall of Fame for comment, but neither responded. They did, however, get some information on deliberations and what may have swayed voters one way or the other.

“Multiple sources told ESPN that Spygate and Deflategate, the twin cheating scandals during the Patriots’ championship run, came up in deliberations among voters. A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts — a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty — told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick. Commissioner Roger Goodell also fined the Patriots $500,000 and fined Belichick $250,000.”

Is this truly a league-sanctioned penance, or did voters simply lose the plot? Polian also denied ESPN’s request for comment about the situation. Reactions around the league to the news of Belichick’s denial can only be described as stunned.

All in all, this feels like a slap in the face to Belichick, but it’s also one for the Patriots, with the team’s focus squarely on Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. Head coach Mike Vrabel, who was part of Belichick’s teams as a player from 2001 through 2008, will surely have to deal with the distraction in the week of media leading up to the big game.

Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick’s coaching resume

  • 6 Super Bowl wins as head coach (1st)
  • 9 conference championship wins (1st)
  • 31 playoff wins (1st)
  • 302 regular-season wins (3rd)
  • 333 total wins (2nd)