NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Bill Belichick’s resume screams a one-way ticket to Canton, Ohio, but when he wasn’t elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, many were stunned Tuesday night.
Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of them.
“Insane…I don’t even understand how that could be possible,” Mahomes responded on
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs shake hands after Kansas City’s 27-17 victory at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Belichick confirmed the news Tuesday evening after receiving a call from a Hall of Fame representative last Friday.
ESPN reported that Belichick asked an associate, “Six Super Bowls aren’t enough,” speaking of the championships won during his 23 years as head of the New England Patriots.
“What’s a guy to do?” he would have added.
BILL BELICHICK Reportedly Missed Out on First Ballot to Hall of Fame, Provoking Quick Backlash
ESPN added that Belichick, who also won two Super Bowls while defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, was “puzzled” and “disappointed” that he didn’t get at least 80 percent of the votes from the floor committee members.
“Politics has kept him away. He doesn’t think it reflects his accomplishments,” a source told ESPN.
Belichick has the second-most wins by a head coach in NFL history, with a record of 333-178, including the playoffs. He’s just behind the great Don Shula, the Hall of Famer with 347 wins.
It was Belichick’s run at the helm of a dynasty in New England that made many believe he would have no chance of making it past the first round of voting.
ESPN reported that the infamous Spygate and Deflategate scandals involving the Patriots during Belichick’s tenure came up during deliberations over whether to elect him to Canton.
Regardless, Mahomes’ reaction, and apparently Belichick’s, doesn’t stop there.
Close-up of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the game against the New York Jets, East Rutherford, NJ 9/9/2007. (Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“I can’t read it right,” tweeted future Hall of Famer JJ Watt. “This must be a knockoff Hall of Fame or something, this can’t be the real NFL Hall of Fame. There’s not a world in which Bill Belichick shouldn’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Pat McAfee added: “Bill Belichick is officially not a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. Bill Belichick… Bill Belichick could be a member. [GOAT] conversations for the coach AND the general manager and he is not a first-ballot PRO FOOTBALL Hall of Famer.
Belichick, the current head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, also coached the Cleveland Browns before finding success with the Patriots. He won six titles with Tom Brady at the helm before parting ways with the franchise after the 2023 season.
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, then head coach of the New England Patriots, during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Belichick’s coaching tree also appears to be very strong, especially with former player Mike Vrabel, who helped him win three titles, leading the Patriots back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Belichick era in his first year as head coach.
Also alongside Vrabel is Josh McDaniels, who worked closely with Belichick during those Super Bowl years.
