Bill Belichick snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame in first year of
eligibility, report says
[January 28, 2026]
By JOSH DUBOW
Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick
didn't get voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of
eligibility, according to a report from ESPN.
Citing four unidentified sources, ESPN reported Tuesday that Belichick
didn't receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media
members and other Hall of Famers. ESPN said Belichick received a call
from the Hall of Fame last Friday with the news. |
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick holds up the Vince
Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates the Patriots' victory over the Seattle
Seahawks in NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale,
Ariz. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) |
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The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is
announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5.
The report of Belichick's snub was met with significant
criticism, including from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick
Mahomes, who posted on social media: “Insane … don’t even
understand how this could be possible.”
Belichick was hired by New England in 2000 and led the franchise
to six Super Bowl wins and three other appearances in the title
game during an 18-year span from 2001-18. Belichick’s 333 wins
in the regular season and playoffs with New England and
Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula’s 347. He won AP NFL
Coach of the Year three times.
Belichick also was one of the game’s top defensive assistants
before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super
Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Belichick’s career did have blemishes. He was implicated in a
sign-stealing scandal dubbed “Spygate” in the 2007 season and
was fined $500,000 after the team was caught filming defensive
signals from the New York Jets during a game.
Belichick’s tenure in New England ended following the 2023
season. He just finished his first year coaching in college at
North Carolina.
Belichick was one of five finalists among coaches, contributors
and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or
earlier. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor
finalist, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood the
players.
Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into
the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players
from a group of 15 finalists.
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