Bill Belichick stands as a monumental figure in NFL history, having secured six Lombardi Trophies as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as an assistant with the New York Giants, amassing more Super Bowl rings than anyone else in the league’s history.
Surprisingly, despite his remarkable achievements, Belichick was not inducted as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
According to an ESPN report citing four anonymous sources, Belichick fell short of the votes necessary for induction during his first year of eligibility.
To be inducted, Belichick needed to garner support from 40 out of a 50-member panel, which includes media professionals and current Hall of Famers.
The news of his exclusion shocked the football community, leaving players, coaches, and fans in disbelief. Patrick Mahomes described the decision as “insane,” while LeBron James deemed it “impossible, egregious, and quite frankly disrespectful.”
With such an illustrious track record, Belichick’s omission raises a poignant question: What exactly does it take to earn a place in the Hall of Fame?
The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5. Several voters immediately revealed they voted for Belichick and some called for those who didn’t to publicly say it.
Armando Salguero, OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer and Hall of Fame voter, was the one who presented Belichick in the Hall’s subcommittee meeting that selected him to advance to the full 50-member selection body. Salguero then presented Belichick to the full selector’s committee in a meeting on Jan. 13.
He’s among the voters who selected Belichick and are urging the others to reveal themselves.
“They should identify themselves as the people who kept Belichick out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year,” Salguero wrote in his column. “I am saying that here, and would say as much to their face. Their votes sunk Belichick’s chances and embarrassed the Hall of Fame in the process.
“They make all selectors look bad, and they shouldn’t hide behind their minority vote to protect themselves at the expense of the wider group. I know it’s a wider group because I’ve spoken with a lot of selectors since our meeting, and they agreed with my vote for Belichick.”
Salguero, who is a longtime voter for the AP All-Pro team and the AP NFL awards, said the “Spygate” scandal kept Belichick out of the Hall.
Belichick was implicated in a sign-stealing scheme during the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after New England was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.
“Spygate was the reason several selectors could not bring themselves to vote for Belichick, because they felt it sullied his records,” Salguero wrote.
In his presentation, Salguero said he pointed out that Belichick had a higher winning percentage (.693 to .580) after “Spygate” and won three Super Bowls and six conference titles. He had 14 double-digit win seasons and won more regular-season games after “Spygate” than 22 of the 28 coaches in the Hall of Fame.
“Those facts may have changed some minds on Belichick. But it didn’t change enough of them,” Salguero wrote.
Belichick was one of five finalists among coaches, contributors and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor finalist, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood the players.
Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players from a group of 15 finalists.
The process for selection changed in 2025. The 50 voters now each pick three of the five and between one to three make it if they get at least 40 votes. A new rule also made coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five.
Belichick sat out one season after his 24-year tenure with the Patriots ended in 2023. He returned to coaching at North Carolina and finished his first season 4-8.
Mike Sando, an NFL writer for The Athletic, said he voted for Belichick and explained the process that could’ve led to the snub.
“Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it,” Sando wrote on X.
The 73-year-old Belichick was a top defensive assistant coach with Giants under Bill Parcells. He left New York to coach Cleveland from 1991-95, joined the Patriots as an assistant in 1996, spent three seasons with the Jets and was hired by New England in 2000.
He led the Patriots with Tom Brady to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances and had one 16-0 regular season. Belichick’s 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula’s 347. He won AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.
“Just for the record: I voted for Belichick and am stunned – and embarrassed for our selection committee,” USA Today NFL columnist Jarrett Bell wrote on X. “At least 11 people from the 50-member panel voted against BB. At the very least they should reveal themselves as this begs for transparency. Don’t lump us all together.”
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