By JOSH DUBOW
Head coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion, did not receive enough votes to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to an ESPN report.
Citing four unnamed sources, ESPN reported that Belichick did not receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel made up of members of the media and Hall of Famers. ESPN added that Belichick received a call from the Hall of Fame last Friday to break the news.
The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at the NFL Awards, a ceremony to be held Feb. 5 in San Francisco.
The report of Belichick’s exclusion was met with significant criticism, including from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who posted on social media: “Unbelievable… I don’t even understand how this could be possible.”
Belichick was hired by New England in 2000 and led the franchise to six Super Bowl victories and three more title game appearances over an 18-year stretch from 2001 to 2018. Belichick’s 333 regular-season and playoff wins with New England and Cleveland are second-most behind Don Shula’s 347.
He won the AP Coach of the Year award three times.
Belichick was also one of the best defensive assistants in the game before taking over in New England. He won two previous Super Bowls as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
Belichick’s career had its spots. He was implicated in a sign-stealing scandal called “Spygate” in the 2007 season. He was fined $500,000 after the team was caught filming New York Jets defensive signs during a game.
Belichick’s tenure in New England ended after the 2023 season. He just concluded his first year coaching at the University of North Carolina.
Belichick was one of five finalists among coaches, contributors and veteran players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributing finalist, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and LC Greenwood in the group of players.
Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with three to five modern-era players from a pool of 15 finalists.
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