Bill Belichick shockingly snubbed from Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Seriously.

Ahead of the announcement of the full Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 next Thursday during Super Bowl week, ESPN reported on Tuesday night that Belichick, who has the most Super Bowl wins and second-most overall wins of any coach in the history of the sport, was not selected in his first year of eligibility. He fell short of the 40 votes (of 50) needed for induction.

According to the piece from ESPN Bill Polian, the former GM of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, "told some voters he believed Belichick should 'wait a year' before induction" due to his involvement in the Spygate scandal. Polian is one of a few former football personnel on the voting committee, which is mainly composed of veteran NFL media members. Their votes are anonymous.

ESPN added none of Belichick, Polian, or a spokesperson for the Hall of Fame responded to requests to comment. However an unnamed voter did say "The only explanation was the cheating stuff...It really bothered some of the guys."

However, the voter responsible for presenting Belichick's case to the committee - Miami-based writer Armando Salguero, did share his reaction on social media.

"I presented Bill Belichick in the coach sub-committee meeting that moved him forward to the full committee, and I presented him to the full committee," he posted. "I am stunned, disappointed, and disagree deeply with the at least 11 selectors who didn’t vote for him for the HOF Class of 2026."

Pro Football Hall of Fame voting is done in stages between four committees - Modern-Era, Coaches, Contributors, and Seniors. Belichick was the lone representative of the Coaches Committee, joining 15 Modern-Era finalists, three Seniors Finalists, and one from the Contributors. Of those 20 the Committee can select between four and eight new members each year. There are cases where spots are left unfilled, which could be the case for Belichick this year.

The remaining voting results are not yet known, but the Patriots do have two more chances at having somebody inducted this year. Kicker Adam Vinatieri - previously the Hall's biggest snub - is in his second year on the ballot. Team owner Robert Kraft is also a finalist, representing the Contributor Committee.