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Tom Brady was as confused as the rest of the NFL world when it was learned that Bill Belichick would not be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
The Belichick snub, despite eight Super Bowl rings total in his career, was reported by ESPN on Tuesday night. He needed 40 of the 50 votes to win his seat in Canton, Ohio, when he was on the ballot for the first time.
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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC Divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2016. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with Belichick while the two were with the New England Patriots, went to bat for his former head coach.
“To me, I don’t get it,” he said Wednesday in an appearance on “Brock & Salk Mornings” in Seattle. “I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I pick a coach that’s going to go out and win a Belichick season, I’m giving myself a Belichick season.
“So that’s enough said. Outside of that, again, when it comes to votes and popularity and all that, like, welcome to the voice world. He might as well go try out for the Oscars or whatever and have a big panel tell you if you’re good or not. That’s the way it works, unfortunately.”
Brady said he was confident Belichick would get into the Hall of Fame eventually.
TRUMP RIPS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME FOR ‘RIDICULOUS’ DECISION TO SNAP BILL BELICHICK FROM FIRST-BALLOT SERIES
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and head coach Bill Belichick after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017. (Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s going to get into the Hall of Fame,” he continued. “At the end of the day, I’m not worried about it. A lot of times in life, for all of us, things don’t happen exactly the way you want them to on your timeline, but we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does. He’s going to have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches who appreciated everything he did and the commitment he made to win and have a big impact on our lives, and that’s going to be a big impact that he’s won and will be a big impact. it happens.”
It is unclear who left him off the ballot.
The Class of 2026 won’t be officially revealed until next week in the lead-up 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.
Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” by the decision and that he wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to come in right away, ESPN reported.
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke to the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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“Politics kept him out. He doesn’t believe this is a reflection of his performance,” another source told the magazine.
