Bill Belichick was surprisingly snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee in his first year of eligibility, according to ESPN reports on Tuesday. Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, reportedly did not get the required 40 of 50 votes to get enshrined this year.
While many have weighed in on the Hall of Fame committee for not voting for Belichick as a first-time ballot, former ESPN analyst Jason Whitlock has claimed that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft might have campaigned against the coach.
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“Robert Kraft is the one behind Bill Belichick not making the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He has been manufacturing a smear campaign against Belichick ever since he left New England,” Whitlock tweeted on Wednesday.
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Belichick coached the Patriots for 24 years until they fired him in January 2024. He helped New England reach nine Super Bowls, winning six of them.
Belichick also won two Super Bowls while working as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Due to Belichick’s coaching success in the NFL and the accolades to back it up, many expressed their surprise at the fact that he won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The NFL is set to reveal the Hall of Fame inductees for this year on Feb. 5.
Bill Belichick’s scandals as Patriots HC reportedly cost him a first-time ballot into Pro Football Hall of Fame
According to some reports, Bill Belichick was snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for this year due to the “Spygate” and “Deflategate” scandals during the Patriots’ championship run.
Some Hall of Fame voters claimed that Belichick should wait a year before induction, as penance for “Spygate,” the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the Patriots a first-round draft pick.
Belichick is currently coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels. He led UNC to a 4-8 record in his first year with the program.
Edited by Arnold
