Bill Belichick's Hopes of Pro Football Hall of Fame Disappointment: Report Reveals He Fell Short
According to sources close to ESPN, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been overlooked for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, marking a major snub in his illustrious career. Insiders claim that Belichick failed to secure 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers, falling short of the necessary threshold.
The news was delivered to Belichick via phone call last Friday, with the details revealed by ESPN sources on Tuesday. The Hall of Fame has declined to comment until its annual awards ceremony is held in San Francisco on February 5, where the class of 2026 will be unveiled.
Belichick's exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 has sent shockwaves through the NFL community, with many taking to social media to express their outrage. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was among those who publicly bemoaned Belichick's snub, calling it "insane" and expressing bafflement at the decision.
Throughout his illustrious career, Belichick has achieved incredible success as a head coach, guiding the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins and three additional appearances in the championship game. He ranks second in regular-season and postseason wins with 333 victories under his belt, behind only Don Shula's 347. Belichick also claimed multiple AP NFL Coach of the Year awards and won two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
However, Belichick's career has not been without controversy. He was embroiled in the infamous "Spygate" scandal during his time with the Patriots, which resulted in a $500,000 fine after the team was caught filming defensive signals from an opposing team.
Belichick recently concluded his 18-year tenure with the Patriots and embarked on his first foray into college coaching at North Carolina. He remains one of five finalists vying for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Roger Craig, Ken Anderson, and L.C. Greenwood.
According to sources close to ESPN, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been overlooked for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, marking a major snub in his illustrious career. Insiders claim that Belichick failed to secure 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers, falling short of the necessary threshold.
The news was delivered to Belichick via phone call last Friday, with the details revealed by ESPN sources on Tuesday. The Hall of Fame has declined to comment until its annual awards ceremony is held in San Francisco on February 5, where the class of 2026 will be unveiled.
Belichick's exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 has sent shockwaves through the NFL community, with many taking to social media to express their outrage. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was among those who publicly bemoaned Belichick's snub, calling it "insane" and expressing bafflement at the decision.
Throughout his illustrious career, Belichick has achieved incredible success as a head coach, guiding the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins and three additional appearances in the championship game. He ranks second in regular-season and postseason wins with 333 victories under his belt, behind only Don Shula's 347. Belichick also claimed multiple AP NFL Coach of the Year awards and won two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
However, Belichick's career has not been without controversy. He was embroiled in the infamous "Spygate" scandal during his time with the Patriots, which resulted in a $500,000 fine after the team was caught filming defensive signals from an opposing team.
Belichick recently concluded his 18-year tenure with the Patriots and embarked on his first foray into college coaching at North Carolina. He remains one of five finalists vying for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Roger Craig, Ken Anderson, and L.C. Greenwood.
gotta feel bad for belichick, been in the game forever & achieved so much but i guess 40 votes is a lot to ask. he's been a major factor in the nfl's popularity & success, no doubt about it 
still dont get why they passed on him though, all that spygate drama just seemed like a fluke to me 
some ppl gotta understand that coaches are human too, we make mistakes. maybe he'll get in eventually tho? 
belichick's career was all about outsmartin' and outcoordinatin' his opponents but in the end it looks like he got outsmarted by the voting panel 
thinkin' 'bout what's goin' on here makes me wanna ask, is success just about winnin', or is there more to bein' a legend than just rackin' up wins and accolades?
I guess it's easy to overlook the guy when you're watching from the outside, but come on, he's done everything that's expected of him and then some. And yeah, Spygate was a thing, but who hasn't been accused of something they didn't do in sports right? 
What more does he need to prove? Patrick Mahomes calling him out on social media was kinda harsh, but I get why he'd be salty about it.
anyway gotta respect the guy for what he's accomplished in football
. Patrick Mahomes is right though, 40 votes is insane 
! On a lighter note, who needs 40 votes when you've got six rings and a bunch of awards to your name? Bill Belichick's still the GOAT in my book 
he needs 40 votes from 50 ppl and he falls short lol what even is the criteria here? its like theyre just making it up as they go along... kansas city chiefs QB patrick mahomes is low-key salty about it btw 
! I mean, 40 votes is not that hard to get, right? 
The guy won six Super Bowls and has like a gazillion wins under his belt 
. He's been in the game for ages and has accomplished so much, it's crazy he didn't make it 
. I know some people might say he was lucky or that all those wins were due to his team's star players (looking at you, Tom Brady 
), but let's be real, Belichick is the one who made those teams successful in the first place 
I just can't believe it! Bill Belichick, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, gets snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I mean, what's next? 
check this out: if we extrapolate his win total to a full 16-game season, patricks pats woulda had like 95-2 records in 2025 
but i guess 40 votes ain't enough for him 
.
. And yeah, Belichick did have some controversy with that Spygate thing in the past, but you'd think that wouldn't matter now. It just feels like a big snub to me 
. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the Hall of Fame has to say about it... 
. The "Spygate" thing is still kinda shady 
. Still, 333 wins is crazy, no doubt about it! 
And I'm a bit surprised Patrick Mahomes is so salty about it 
. Guess the real question is, what did he do wrong?