The news of Bill Belichick’s Pro Football Hall of Fame snub shocked and appalled nearly every person who follows pro football Tuesday.
But it surprised the Hall of Fame for an entirely different reason.
The Hall released a statement Wednesday condemning the leaking of information about the former New England Patriots coach’s snub by the 50-person voting panel.
The Hall of Fame has yet to announce its 4-to-8-person class of 2026, though we know from information leaks that both Belichick and former Patriots nemesis and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning each will not be in the field.
Belichick, of course, coached New England to a record nine Super Bowls, and won six championships as Patriots coach in his 24-season tenure in Foxborough. He also won two championships as Giants defensive coordinator under former Giants and Patriots coach Bill Parcells.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Threatened To Remove Members Of The 50-Person Selection Committee
That the news of Belichick’s snubbing leaked likely would not be grounds for removal of a committee member.
But the full scope of reporting, from ESPN’s Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham, detailed the inner workings of what resulted in Belichick’s denial of entry on the first ballot and clearly rubbed some Hall members the wrong way.
“The Hall respects the members of the Selection Committee when they follow the selection process bylaws,” the Hall released in a statement. “If it is determined that any member(s) violated the selection process bylaws, they understand action will be taken. That could include the possibility that such selector(s) would not remain a member of the committee moving forward.”
Aside from threatening potential leakers, the Hall made sure to point out the seriousness that goes with being a voter.
“The selection of a new class is the most important duty the Hall of Fame oversees each year,” the Hall said. “The integrity of that process cannot be in question.”
Bill Polian, Robert Kraft Were Integral In Keeping Bill Belichick Out Of The Hall of Fame
Wickersham and Van Natta detailed some of the thought processes that led to Belichick being held out, and Bill Polian and Robert Kraft were integral in keeping Belichick out in Year 1.
“Multiple sources told ESPN that Spygate and Deflategate, the twin cheating scandals during the Patriots’ championship run, came up in deliberations among voters,” ESPN’s reporting indicated. “A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that [Bill] Polian, an ardent Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts — a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty — told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick. Commissioner Roger Goodell also fined Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000.
“The only explanation [for the outcome] was the cheating stuff,” a veteran Hall voter told ESPN on Tuesday. “It really bothered some of the guys.”
Kraft, of course, is currently a Hall of Fame finalist and waiting to hear his own name called when the Hall class ins revealed at NFL Honors on Feb. 5.
Hall of Fame Sends Strong Message to Voters After Bill Belichick Snub Leaks