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The football world was stunned Tuesday night when it was initially reported that eight-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
ESPN first reported that Belichick would not be entering the Hall of Fame this time around. The outlet, citing sources, reported that Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” by the decision and wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to come in right away.
However, the outlet also reported that Spygate and Deflategate were points of contention and “bothered some guys,” leading some to convince other voters that Belichick should be punished by waiting a year to come in. The 2007 spy scandal cost the team a first-round pick and $250,000, while Belichick was fined $0,000. Deflategate resulted in a four-game suspension for Tom Brady and $1 million in fines and went all the way to US courts.
Bill Polian speaks during the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 8, 2015 in Canton, Ohio. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ESPN reported that Bill Polian, a rival general manager during Belichick’s New England Patriots years, was one of the voters who told others that Belichick should “wait a year” before inducting.
Polian denied this idea to ESPN, telling Sports Illustrated that the allegations were “totally and categorically untrue.”
“I was shocked to hear Bill didn’t get in. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” Polian told ESPN.
Polian also told SI he “voted for” Belichick, but ESPN said Polian told them he couldn’t remember with 100% certainty if he did.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick smiles as he walks off the field during training camp in Foxborough, Mass., on June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
ESPN also said Polian “heard his fellow voters ‘floating that idea'” of a one-year penalty, “but insisted he neither agreed nor disagreed with the proposal.”
The final list of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees will be released prior to Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the nominees in a separate group from the modern players category, along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Six of Belichick’s titles came as head coach of the Patriots, and the other two came as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator.
Belichick, currently the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, was 302-165 in his career as a head coach with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He and the Patriots mutually parted ways following the 2023 campaign after 24 seasons.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announces his retirement from the team during a news conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on January 11, 2024. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
He had a controversial ending with both the Browns and the New York Jets. The Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens under cover of darkness, leaving the entire franchise in the city. When he was set to take the Jets’ head coaching job, he resigned as “HC of the NYJ” at his opening press conference and decided to take the New England job instead.
