Bill Belichick was reportedly not selected as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
The legendary coach needed at least 80% of the votes but reportedly did not receive the required support.
Some Hall of Fame voters indicated that past scandals like Spygate and Deflategate influenced the decision.
Former Patriots player Willie McGinest and others expressed surprise, citing Belichick’s eight Super Bowl championships.
Apparently a resume that consists of eight Super Bowl championships, six as a head coach and two as an assistant, and the second most wins all time, including the playoffs, isn’t enough to garner a first-ballot Hall of Fame nod.
People around the NFL and even some Pro Football Hall of Fame voters are left mystified as to why Bill Belichick isn’t a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be revealed Feb. 5 at the NFL Honors. Belichick reportedly won’t be part of the distinguished group.
“Some things are just a no-brainer. His work speaks for itself. We should all be judged on that,” Willie McGinest, who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame, told USA TODAY Sports. “I think sometimes voters and people who aren’t really, really into the game don’t understand that. They just look at straight numbers. They don’t look at all the different things you did. When you look at his body of work, that’s when you have to look at all the different ways that he won, and with who, and how he won and some of the decision making.”
Belichick reportedly didn’t receive the 40 out of 50 votes required to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Belichick is among the seniors, coach and contributor voting categories. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, five finalists from the seniors, coach and contributor categories will be combined into a second group for voting by selectors. No more than three, nor fewer than one may be elected. Approval from at least 80% of the selectors is required for election.
Meaning there were at least 11 selectors who didn’t vote for Belichick.
“Being so successful and winning so much makes people not like you. If you win too much, people don’t like you,” McGinest said. “You become the hated.”
The senior finalists are Kenny Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood. The coach finalist is Belichick, while Patriots owner Robert Kraft is a contributor finalist.
Hall of Fame voters: Spygate, Deflategate factored into Belichick snub
“I thought he was in. I didn’t see that coming,” one Hall of Fame voter told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and the selection process.
One Hall of Fame voter told USA TODAY Sports that Spygate and Deflategate, the cheating scandals that arose during the Patriots’ dynasty, factored into Belichick’s first-ballot Hall of Fame omission. Spygate cost the Belichick-led Patriots a first-round draft pick. In addition, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined the Patriots $500,000 and fined Belichick $250,000. In 2015, the NFL suspended Tom Brady for four games, fined the Patriots $1 million and docked the team two draft picks as punishment for Deflategate.
According to ESPN, former Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian, who is a Hall of Fame selector, told some voters he believed Belichick should ‘wait a year’ as retribution for Spygate. Polian later denied telling fellow voters that Belichick should have to wait a year as punishment for Spygate and said he couldn’t remember with certainty if he voted for Belichick, per ESPN.
“Not surprised based on the recent changes in the voting and discussion about the candidate in the room. He’s deserving. I voted for him,” another Hall of Fame voter told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and the selection process.
Another Hall of Fame voter said there could’ve been some anti-New England bias among some voters.
“Everybody has their biases,” the Hall of Fame voter said to USA TODAY Sports. They also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and the selection process.
Several people around the NFL admitted that the Hall of Fame voters and the selection criteria has suffered a credibility hit as a result of Belichick’s snub.
“The man has eight Super Bowls. I don’t think anyone will ever duplicate the run that he had in couple of decades’ span,” McGinest said. “Whether you like him, hate him, love him. You have to respect what the man did. I think it goes without saying, no coach in the modern era of the NFL has accomplished what he’s accomplished.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
