Bill Belichick will not make Pro Football Hall of Fame on first ballot, per report
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Legendary former NFL coach Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to a report.
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham are reporting that Belichick did not receive the 40-of-50 votes to make this summer’s Hall class. Belichick was reportedly informed on Friday.
Belichick collected 8 Super Bowl rings in his decorated career, including 6 as head coach of the New England Patriots. He went 333-178 in the NFL, second in wins behind only Don Shula (347), but not without controversies.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s voting committee is comprised primarily of NFL veteran reporters, but also includes other football figures such as former general manager Bill Polian. ESPN’s report notes that the Spygate and Deflategate scandals with the Patriots may have kept some of the Hall voters from supporting Belichick on the first ballot.
A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent (Robert) Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts — a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty — told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick.
The Patriots parted with Belichick in January 2024. Belichick did not coach in 2024, but returned to coaching in 2025, trying college football for the first time at North Carolina. The Tar Heels went 4-8 in Belichick’s first season at UNC.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
