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Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey said Wednesday it was “unfortunate” that Bill Belichick failed to get into Canton on the first ballot, but he understood why.
Bailey suggested that Belichick’s relationship with the media could have changed how the vote played out.
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Bailey Field before the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on October 6, 2024. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
“I’m surprised. I wish I knew the reason why he didn’t vote for him because I could see on the one hand why some people wouldn’t and I could see on the other hand why he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Bailey said on “Up & Adams.” “There are a lot of questions around his tenure as head coach. You have Spygate and all these other things that have happened. So, you have to worry about that.
“Also, he was never very kind to the media. So what I understood throughout my career, and before, and certainly after, is that your relationships with the media determine a lot of the accolades that you receive. I don’t think that diminishes what he’s done. I mean, he was an eight-time Super Bowl champion. The guy has done it all from a success standpoint. It’s unfortunate that we’re here, but there are other guys who deserve it. to be in the first ballot that I can call that are not in the first ballot. There is always a Hall of Fame and he is one of them.
Belichick has notoriously kept his answers close to the vest during his career. He had a handful of viral moments explaining the Xs and Os from time to time. But above all, there was a lack of journalists.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be out in 2023. (Robert Deutsch Network/USA TODAY via Imagn Images)
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It wasn’t until he left the New England Patriots that his personal life became more exposed. Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson became a topic of conversation in the sports world last year when he took over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Still, a few blunt responses to the media may not be the ultimate reason Belichick wasn’t on the first ballot. One voter suggested that the voting process in the category he was in was a handcuffing process.
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.
Bill Belichick answers questions during the press conference following a game between the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 24, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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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.
