What are we even doing here?
Bill Belichick is one of the most decorated NFL coaches of all time. He holds the record for the most Super Bowl rings as a head coach, winning six titles during his 24 seasons with the New England Patriots. But not only that, he also won two Super Bowls as an assistant with the New York Giants, giving him the overall record for most Super Bowl wins as a coach in general.
During his time with the Patriots he was named AP Coach of the Year three times, and he racked up more playoff wins than any head coach in NFL history with 31, and more Super Bowl appearances with 9 as a head coach. That means that Belichick made the Super Bowl, on average, every 3 seasons.
Not a bad record, eh?
Of course things went a little sideways at the end of his tenure in New England, when Belichick went 4-13 in his final season back in 2023. And his tenure as a college football coach has been nothing short of disastrous, going 4-8 in his first season at UNC in a year that was largely overshadowed by headlines about his relationship with 24-year old cheerleader Jordon Hudson.
But none of that overshadows all of the records he set during his time in the NFL, where he racked up a 333-178 record as a head coach.
That’s why it’s absolutely BAFFLING that Belichick wasn’t voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.
According to ESPN, Belichick was informed over the weekend that he somehow, inexplicably fell short of the 80% threshold needed to get elected into the Hall of Fame.
The inductees haven’t been officially announced yet, with the official word from the Hall of Fame coming next week ahead of Super Bowl LX, but Belichick was reportedly just as baffled as everybody else when he was told that he missed out:
“Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?”
I mean, that’s a good question…
Another source claimed that “politics” kept Belichick out of the Hall of Fame, and that the coach doesn’t believe his snub is a reflection of his record.
Honestly, there’s no explanation for not voting for Belichick. If there ever were a first ballot Hall of Famer, it’s the guy responsible for one of the most prolific sports dynasties ever.
And sure, I know there are people who think Belichick only won all those rings because he had Tom Brady as his quarterback, and point to the Patriots’ struggles after Brady left as proof that maybe Belichick wasn’t as good as everybody gives him credit for.
Another vocal opponent of Belichick was reportedly Bill Polian, the former general manager for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. Polian reportedly believed that Belichick should have to wait a year to get into the Hall of Fame as punishment for “Spygate,” when the Patriots were caught illegally filming signals of opposing coaches back in 2007, as well as “Deflategate.”
Regardless, the record doesn’t lie, and neither do the Super Bowl rings: Leaving Belichick off the ballot should be an automatic disqualification for those voters, because they’re clearly voting against him based on something other than his career or his record.
I get that Belichick may not have been the most popular guy in the NFL. He was often short and grumpy with the media, and didn’t really seem to be interested in making friends.
But he was interested in winning, and he did A LOT of it. Enough of it that his induction into the Hall of Fame should be a no brainer, and enough leaving him out on the first ballot does nothing but damage the credibility of the Hall of Fame and its voters.
