Bill Belichick Hall Of Fame Snub Case Of 'Shock & Awful' & Unites Nation In Disbelief (Commentary)
Bill Belichick spent the 21st Century and a good chunk of the 20th Century as one of the most divisive figures in all professional sports. Today, he’s done the impossible. The Bill Belichick Hall of Fame snub unified the nation in disbelief and sports outrage.
Call it: "Shock & Awful."
It belongs in the Hall of Fame of All-Time Worst Sports Decisions.
It's up there with the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth, or drafting 6 quarterbacks before Tom Brady, or the deals that sent Kobe Bryant to the Lakers and Bill Russell to the Celtics. A handful of mystery voters have chosen to punish Belichick for "Spygate," "Deflategate," and for 40 years of being Bill Belichick. If 8 Super Bowl rings aren't good enough for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but O.J. Simpson is, it's time to close the Hall's doors for good.
The incredulity triggered because a coach with 8 Super Bowl rings (6 as the Patriots head coach and 2 with the Giants) not being deemed good enough for a first-ballot selection roiled the wide world of sports and beyond. A manhunt not seen since Osama bin Laden ensued to find those voters who did not vote to clear Belichick over the first threshold for enshrinement.
Candidates need 40 of 50 voters to support their selection to reach the final round. Belichick missed the cut. Players, coaches, and executives all compete for the same honor.
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Trump, Multiple Athletes Bash Decision
Among those publicly criticizing the decision: President Donald Trump, noted Trump critic Jemele Hill, current Pro Football Hall of Famers Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, Lawrence Taylor and Terrell Owens; likely future Hall of Famers Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt; and non-football superstars like LeBron James.
Never at a loss for words, Trump weighed in on Truth Social.
"It is the same mindset that gave pro football the new and unwatchable 'Sissy' Kickoff Rule, that made it possible for Bill Belichick to not be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both are ridiculous and should be overturned!" Trump posted.
Trump’s relationship with Belichick goes back to the Hoodie’s days with the Giants. Trump read a letter from Belichick voicing his support ahead of the 2016 election. And Trump awarded Belichick the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021 before leaving office, but Belichick declined the honor.
Charles Barkley introduced the word “Belichicked” into the lexicon Wednesday night during “Inside the NBA” on ESPN
Taylor, Brady Back Former Boss With Gusto
The two players most closely associated with Belichick – quarterback Tom Brady and linebacker Lawrence Taylor – stand firmly behind their former boss.
“I don’t understand it. I was with him every day,” Brady said during an appearance on Seattle Sports’s Brock & Salk. “If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer then there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.”
Brady’s parter in crime in both New England and Tampa Bay, Gronkowski, called the move “asinine” during an appearance on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. ““The guy has won more Super Bowls than anyone out there.”
Taylor’s loyalty to Belichick remains unbowed after 40 years. “You’re saying that Bill Belichick is not worthy to be in the Hall of Fame first ballot? If he’s not, then the whole thing is bull(expletive).”
Others agreed.
“Man there's no way I read that right! Right? Ain't no WAY Bill Belichick ain't 1st Ballot HOF!! That's IMPOSSIBLE, EGREGIOUS, and quite frankly DISRESPECTFUL!” James posted on X.
And Johnson, who coached both the national champion Miami Hurricanes and Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, said he was not attending this year’s Hall of Fame induction in Canton, Ohio out of protests.
Bill Belichick Hall Of Fame Snub: How We Got Here
Amid the fallout, the Pro Football Hall of Fame issued a statement Wednesday. Mostly comprised of jibberish, the Hall appeared far more upset that the results of the preliminary voting results were leaked prematurely than with the results themselves.
Belichick's success as the head coach of the New England Patriots, and as Bill Parcells’ No. 2 during the heydays of the New York Giants in the 1980s, elevated his name to the top of any discussion surrounding “All Time Best NFL Coaches.”
The Patriots won 6 Super Bowls during this reign as head coach and Dark Lord of Foxboro. And the Giants won two more riding Belichick’s defense to wins over John Elway’s Broncos and Jim Kelly’s Bills.
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Belichick, now 73 and coaching at North Carolina, did it all with a scowl, not a smile.
With each victory, seemingly, came another enemy. Another critic. Another nay-sayer.
Then came “Spygate.” Nearly 20 years ago, the Patriots were found to have been video taping their opponent’s in-game play calling signals. A no-no.
Belichick became “Beli-cheat.”
After winning three Super Bowls in the span of four seasons, the Patriots “Dynasty” suddenly went cold.
The team went nearly a decade without a Lombardi Trophy.
‘Belicheat’ To ‘Deflategate’ To More Super Bowl Wins
This was seen as proof positive that Belichick’s success came about just because he and the Patriots cheated.
In the 2014 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7. But that win was marred by allegations that Brady used deflated footballs.
Never mind that New England running back LeGarrette Blount ran for 166 yards and scored 4 TDs. Brady’s Balls were too small. The Patriots subsequently beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl 49. Those balls were perfect.
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Still, the "Deflategate" scandal rocked the NFL for 544 days. After the legal case went all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Brady dropped his fight and agreed to sit for the first four games of the 2016 season.
The Patriots then ripped through the ensuing NFL that season, and won Super Bowl 51 after trailing 28-3 to the Falcons.
So even without surreptitious video tape, and perfectly inflated balls, Belichick’s Patriots were once again winners. And they won this time by executing the greatest comeback in the history of the Super Bowl.
All that, plus a 333–178 NFL regular-season coaching record, a 31-13 run in the postseason, still wasn’t enough. At least this year.
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