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Bill Belichick made huge news this week in a way many football fans are struggling to wrap their heads around. Belichick, widely considered as the greatest football coach of all time, will not be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
From fans to analysts, this news has been met with resistance and confusion. Social media has become a firestorm of criticism for what many believe is unconscionable.
According to ESPN, several sources who spoke with Belichick over the weekend described Belichick as “puzzled” and “disappointed” with the voting result.
“Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” Belichick asked an associate. Belichick’s six Super Bowls as a head coach is the best in NFL history. His 302 regular season wins is second all time. His 31 playoff wins are unmatched. Yet enough voters believed he had not done enough to get in.
Politics and scandal were factors, according to sources
Another source familiar with Belichick's thinking said, "Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments." ESPN reached out to Belichick who declined to comment.
Multiple sources told ESPN the Spygate and Deflategate scandals did factor into some voter’s decision.
A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent Kraft supporter, told some voters he believed Belichick should "wait a year" before induction as penance for Spygate, which cost the team a first-round draft pick. Belichick was also $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000.
"The only explanation [for the outcome] was the cheating stuff," a veteran Hall voter told ESPN on Tuesday. "It really bothered some of the guys."
Deion Sanders reacted with bold words after the snub
Sanders has been a longtime supporter of Belichick. When Belichick made the transition to college football, he had no bigger fan than Sanders.
Sanders might be the most ‘popular’ personality in all of college football, but he certainly has the biggest social media following of any college football coach. Sanders took to Twitter/X to share his feelings on the hall of fame snub.
“The Disrespect to Coach Belichick is straight out IGNORANT!” Sanders tweeted. “He’s arguably the BEST NFL COACH TO EVER COACH THE GAME! How quickly we forget the impact Coach Belichick made on all of us! @nfl WOW! #CoachPrime”
Familiarity with Sanders’ online habits and tendencies would suggest the word choice and use of frequent caps lock are intentional. Sanders does use all caps from time to time. However, it’s most often used in posts about faith-based commentary or when he is particularly passionate about a subject matter.
Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub is not the first time this has happened. Sports writers and other voting members of Hall of Fame committees have often used the first ballot snub as a means of punishment for transgressions those voters deem to be punishable.
Just like many first ballot hall of fame snubs, Belichick will get in and the impact of his snub will diminish over time. In the meantime, the Belichick snub is currently creating discussions among fans and analysts around voting anonymity and using hall of fame votes as a subjective punishment.
More college football news:
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- Miami hasn’t beaten a No. 1 team in 26 years— Indiana stands in the way
- Here's how much Miami is paying its 2025 roster for College Football Playoff run
- Carson Beck shares honest reaction to 'Vanilla Vick' nickname
- Ex-Indiana QB fires back after portrayal in CBS 60 Minutes interview
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