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Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and two-time champion assistant, reportedly missed entering the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
The finalized list of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees will be released before Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group in the modern era player category with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before the game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 21, 2019. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
ESPN first reported that Belichick would not be entering the Hall of Fame this time around. The outlet reported, citing sources, that Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” by the decision and was wondering what more he needed to do as head coach to get in immediately.
“Politics has kept him away. He doesn’t think it reflects his accomplishments,” another source told ESPN.
Former NFL players and fans were just as baffled as the anonymous sources who spoke to the outlet.
“I can’t read it right,” former Houston Texans star JJ Watt wrote on
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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 21, 2018. (Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports)
Pat McAfee added: “Bill Belichick is officially not a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. Bill Belichick…Bill Belichick could be in the (GOAT) conversations for coach AND general manager and he is not a first-ballot PRO FOOTBALL Hall of Famer.”
Others also chimed in.
Belichick, who is currently the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, had a record of 302-165 during his head coaching career between the Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He won six titles with Tom Brady as Patriots head coach before mutually parting ways with the franchise after the 2023 season.
He served as a defensive assistant under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants from 1979 to 1991. The team won two Super Bowls during this period.
He had a controversial ending with the Browns and New York Jets. The Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens under the cover of obscurity, essentially leaving the entire franchise in the city. When he was about to accept the job as head coach of the Jets, he backed out at the last minute and decided to take the job in New England instead.
Bill Belichick watches the Miami Hurricanes take on the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Belichick’s Patriots career hasn’t exactly been sunshine and rainbows, either. He was involved in the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during his time. ESPN reported that the cheating scandals played a role in some voters’ decision about Belichick’s candidacy.
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Belichick’s coaching tree looked stronger than ever. The Patriots will return to the Super Bowl with Mike Vrabel at the helm. Vrabel won three titles under Belichick. Josh McDaniels, another member of Belichick’s staff, is also the team’s offensive coordinator.
