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Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His first year of eligibility was for the Class of 2026, but shockingly, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach didn't receive enough votes to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
There has been plenty of speculation on why Belichick was snubbed from receiving the honor. According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., the Patriots' infamous cheating scandals, Spygate and Deflategate, "came up in deliberations among voters."
Former Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian's name also popped up as someone who might have been in the camp of keeping Belichick out of the Hall of Fame this year.
Van Natta and Wickersham wrote:
"A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent 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 Hall of Fame took a lot of heat from angry fans after the news became public.
Belichick, who many believe to be the greatest coach of all time, has the most postseason wins in NFL history (31). He trails only Don Shula (347) for most total wins, including the playoffs, for a head coach with 333 victories.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Is Bill Belichick a Hall of Famer?
Continue reading...
His first year of eligibility was for the Class of 2026, but shockingly, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach didn't receive enough votes to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
There has been plenty of speculation on why Belichick was snubbed from receiving the honor. According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., the Patriots' infamous cheating scandals, Spygate and Deflategate, "came up in deliberations among voters."
Former Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian's name also popped up as someone who might have been in the camp of keeping Belichick out of the Hall of Fame this year.
Van Natta and Wickersham wrote:
"A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent 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 Hall of Fame took a lot of heat from angry fans after the news became public.
Belichick, who many believe to be the greatest coach of all time, has the most postseason wins in NFL history (31). He trails only Don Shula (347) for most total wins, including the playoffs, for a head coach with 333 victories.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Is Bill Belichick a Hall of Famer?
Continue reading...
