The NFL Hall of Fame was embarrassed when New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick didn’t make it on the first ballot. After all, he’s arguably the greatest coach ever, and with six Super Bowls as a head coach, there’s no debate on where he belongs.
However, it was widely reported at the time that rivals of the Patriots and Belichick had pushed for voters not to vote for him. In the end, he received 39 out of 50 votes, one short of making it into the Hall of Fame.
ESPN reported at the time that Polian was a key voice, in particular, that Belichick should have to “wait a year” because of scandals that followed him while he was with the Patriots. That includes Deflategate and Spygate. Of course, many noticed that it’s the Patriots who often stood in the way of Polian having even more success in his own career with the Indianapolis Colts, and would accuse him of being bitter.
That, of course, would lead to plenty of pushback. Both from those who felt Belichick was unfairly targeted, and Polian himself, who argued he didn’t float the idea of making the Patriots legend wait at all.
Indianapolis Colts Legends Tony Dungy, Bill Polian Lose Votes in Wake of Bill Belichick Vote
Eventually, Bill Belichick will be in the Hall of Fame. Missing on the first ballot was a slap in the face to him and the Patriots, but it won’t be forever. What is going to be forever is the fallout from his snub.
The Hall of Fame has changed its voting protocol. That, notably, includes cutting down its voters from 50 to 28. That means 22 voters are getting kicked off, and that group is reportedly going to include Tony Dungy and Bill Polian.
“Tony Dungy and Bill Polian are among the eliminated Pro Football Hall of Fame voters on a list released by fellow former voter Paul Kuharksy on Wednesday. The move to downsize the voter pool was announced following the naming of the 2026 class, which omitted former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Other eliminated voters include Frank Cooney and John McClain after their 33 years in the role as well as Lisa Salters,” Yahoo Sports reported.
As of writing, neither Dungy nor Polian has spoken publicly about losing their Hall of Fame vote. However, Brett Favre did publicly defend Dungy.
Others Losing Their Hall of Fame Votes
Paul Kuharsky reported the first 19 names losing their votes. That means three voters are still going to go. The full list includes:
- Rick Gosselin
- Frank Cooney
- John McClain
- Tony Grossi
- Ron Borges
- Darin Gantt
- Clark Judge
- Geoff Hobson
- Jason Cole
- Armando Salguero
- Mary Kay Cabot
- Matt Maiocco
- Tony Dungy
- Bill Polian
- Lisa Salters
- Joel Bussert
- Paul Gutierrez
- Rich Cimini
- Paul Kuharsky
Notably, Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star is among those reportedly keeping their votes. That’s notable because Gregorian was one of only two confirmed “no” votes for Belichick. So, this wasn’t completely a cleansing of those who voted against the Patriots.
The Hall of Fame is also going to an in-person meeting to discuss candidates, as well as changing up some of the categories. That is to say, there are now only players, coaches, and contributors.
In the old system, voters could only choose three of five names presented among the old categories. Those old categories included “senior players” that no longer exist today. By choosing to vote for senior players, Gregorian had to leave Patriots legends like Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft off his ballot.
It’s still unclear how much the new rules and categories will help correct mistakes like what happened this past year. For now, though, it seems like a step in the right direction.
Patriots Rivals and Colts Legends Lose Votes After Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Snub