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Perhaps unfairly, Bill Belichick must wait his turn to enter Canton.
Despite winning eight Super Bowls and the second-most wins in NFL history, Belichick fell short of the 80 percent of votes (40 of 50) needed to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.
Dick Vermeil was inducted into the Hall in 2022 while having seven fewer rings and 213 fewer wins. Vermeil therefore knows where the queue is to enter.
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Dick Vermeil is introduced during the 2022 Pro Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 6, 2022 in Canton, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
“If anyone belongs in the Hall of Fame, regardless of how they vote, it’s Bill Belichick. Honestly, I feel guilty being here without him…” Vermeil told TMZ Sports. When you leave Bill Belichick out, the system doesn’t work, and there’s no way to justify it the way it is.”
It has been reported and speculated that Spygate and Deflategate were points of contention that led to a lack of full support for Belichick, leading some to convince other voters that Belichick should be punished by waiting a year to enter. The 2007 spying scandal cost the team a first-round draft pick and $250,000, while Belichick was fined $500,000. Deflategate resulted in a four-game suspension for Tom Brady and a $1 million fine and eventually reached the US courts.
However, Vermeil said keeping him out because of these scandals was “bullshit.”
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
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“I’ve been in the league since 1969, and I’ve seen a lot of things done that technically weren’t legal or ethical and that no one ever knew about, things that amount to any of these accusations. It’s almost a joke,” Vermeil added. “Practicing against Bill was nerve-wracking. I knew I was going to fall behind and needed everyone else’s help. It’s scary to think that the people who voted not to let him in might, in a few years, have the same reservations about Tom Brady not getting in the first round.”
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, along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star wrote a column Wednesday revealing that he was one of at least 11 Hall of Fame voters who did not vote for Belichick. Gregorian, who has covered the league for nearly 40 years, said the controversies were not the reason he left coaching.
Gregorian said he felt “compelled” to vote for Anderson, Craig and Greenwood, believing they may be looking at their last chances to get into the room. Each voter on the selection committee can vote for up to three candidates, outside of the Modern Era player selections.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick blows his whistle during an NFL football practice Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, file)
Six of Belichick’s titles came as head coach of the New England Patriotsand the other two came as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Belichick, currently the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, had a record of 302-165 during his head coaching career with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He and the Patriots parted ways after the 2023 campaign after 24 seasons.
