Bill Belichick NFL Hall Of Fame Snub: 3 Reasons Why Voters Probably No

Bill Belichick’s failure to be voted into the NFL Hall of Fame sparked outrage from Tom Brady and LeBron James. Many sports celebrities and football fans wondered indignantly: How can a coach with the most Super Bowl wins (six) in NFL history not be a celebrity in the first round of voting?

The insult to the Hall of Fame caused such a shock that members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee faced backlash. Meanwhile, the Pro Football Hall of Fame issued a statement warning voters that if they “violate the bylaws governing the selection process, action will be taken,” including removal from the selection committee.

The stupidity signals Belichick’s descent from NFL god to college punchline. The Belichick era in New England spawned the “Patriot Way,” a no-nonsense philosophy rooted in discipline, responsibility and excellence. Belichick’s reign in New England, however, included cheating scandals and an acrimonious divorce from Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Then came the circus in North Carolina, where Belichick made more headlines for his middle-aged girlfriend than for football victories. He went 4-8 in his first season.

Still, before Belichick’s disastrous debut as a college coach, many considered him the greatest coach in NFL history. Belichick has 333 career wins. Only Don Shula has more (347). So once Belichick became eligible, his appointment seemed inevitable.

No.

Resentment, revenge and Spygate emerged as the main reasons for the disapproval. Outraged pundits blamed sportswriters with an agenda and Abe Polian with an ax to grind. However, the reasons for the Hall of Fame’s rejection may be more nuanced. Here are three reasons why voters likely voted no to making Belichick a hall of famer on the first ballot.

Spygate and deflating cheating scandals

Baseball legend Pete Rose went to his grave never inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame because he bet on baseball. Barry Bonds, the all-time home run leader, and pitching legend Roger Clemon would be on the first ballot of Hall of Famers had they not been involved in PED scandals.

Perhaps the voters of the NFL Hall of Fame were trying to hold Belichick accountable for a cheating scandal that left a cloud over the Patriots’ dynasty.

ESPN reported this that multiple sources said Spygate and Deflategate came up during the selection committee’s voting deliberations.

In 2007, news broke that a New England Patriots assistant had videotaped the New York Jets coaches. The NFL allows teams to videotape opponents, but not from unauthorized locations. As more details emerged, NFL officials discovered that the Patriots had been recording opponents’ signals for more than six years.

Despite efforts by Patriot fans to dismiss Spygate as irrelevant, the videotaping scandal resulted in a then-NFL record fine of $500,000 and the loss of a first-round draft pick. Belichick was fined $250,000. The suspensions increased as the NFL destroyed the evidence and even Congress got involved.

Although the Patriots won three Super Bowls after Spygate, the scandal tarnished the team’s dynasty and the idea that they “cheated” lingered.

In 2015, the Patriots were accused of deliberately deflating the balls of AFC Championship opponent Indianapolis Colts. After an investigation, the NFL concluded that Tom Brady was likely aware of the practice. Brady was suspended for four games and fined $1 million.

The incident contributed to the Patriots’ reputation as cheaters.

The fallout from Deflategate is one reason sports talk insinuated that Polian, a voting Hall of Fame member, was behind Belichick’s criticism. However Polian told reporters he double checked his voice. He voted for Belichick.

NFL Hall of Fame voting procedures are to blame

Anyone can nominate a player. However, the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee votes on who gets into the Hall of Fame.

According to the NFL Hall of Fame, this committee consists of one media representative from each pro football city – two from New York and two from Los Angeles. There can be up to 17 at-large Selectors, who are active members of the media or individuals involved in professional football, and one representative of the Pro Football Writers of America. Media members are subject to annual approval by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

The selection committee meets annually, just before the Super Bowl, to choose new members to be committed. To be elected, a candidate must receive votes from at least 80% of the full committee.

The hiccup? The modern player list could motivate some voters to prioritize last-chance candidates.

As part of the selection process, voters will be presented with a list of 25 Modern Player semi-finalists (plus any tie for 25th position) in November. Players not selected within 20 years of retirement will move from the Modern-Era roster into a Senior category.

During a Jan. 28 broadcast of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, sports commentator Michael Wilbon said that as a former voter he often prioritized last-chance candidates. He believes enough voters may have voted for former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig and Steelers great LC Greenwood over Belichick, thinking the coach had a shoe in. One Hall of Fame voter, Kansas City Star columnist Vahe Gregorian, admitted he left Belichick off the list and voted for Greenwood and Craig.

Yahoo Sports reports this that Gregorian and other voters felt that “due to the recently introduced Hall of Fame rules, voters could only vote for a maximum of three of those five, creating a situation where five men needed 40 votes each from a room where there were only 150 votes total.”

Bill Belichick’s post Brady drop-off

Another reason voters may have left Belichick out of the Hall of Fame ballot is the post-Brady era.

Without Brady, Belichick has a career losing record. He is 249-75 with Brady at quarterback. He is 83-111 without Brady. Of course, most coaches win more games with a Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm. However, the drop (.769 to .442) is striking.

Compare Belichick’s Brady-less career to Shula without Dan Marino, Andy Reid before Patrick Mahomes or Tony Dungy before Peyton Manning. Shula has a .690 record without Marino. Shula won two Super Bowls, went to five and remained undefeated before Marino arrived. Shula took two different teams and four different quarterbacks to the Super Bowl. Dungy led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from laughingstock to defensive powerhouse. Despite taking over a perennial loser, Dungy has a .543 winning percentage as coach of the Buccaneers. Reid went to the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and has a regular season and postseason winning percentage with both teams.

Belichick has zero Super Bowl appearances and one playoff win without Brady, and that came with the Cleveland Browns, where he won 37-45. The one year Brady was out with an injury, the Patriots missed the playoffs.

When Brady left the Patriots at age 43 and won a Super Bowl in Tampa, Belichick’s genius took a hit. Some began to wonder if Belichick might not be the best coach of all time, but just a good coach with the best quarterback.

Whatever the reasons, Belichick, his former Patriots players and NFL fans are baffled by the criticism. There have been calls for transparency, layoffs and a revamped voting system. Those things can come. But Belichick is not a First Ballot Hall of Famer and that will never change.