The football world stood still for a moment on Tuesday when the news trickled out that legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick didn’t receive enough votes to be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Believe it or not, prior to coaching in the ACC and dating a much younger and controversial maiden, Belichick is one of the sport’s most accomplished coaches.
Belichick’s 333 total wins in the NFL is the second-greatest mark of all time behind the legendary Don Shula, who won 14 more games. Belichick has won 31 postseason games, which is the NFL record. His six Super Bowls speak to the dominant tenure he had in the NFL.
Over the recent years, football fans have debated if Belichick or superstar quarterback Tom Brady deserves more credit for all of those titles. After all, Belichick’s New England Patriots floundered while Brady was bringing titles to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady put an end to any speculation about their relationship, standing up for his head coach on the radio one day after Belichick’s historic snub.
“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “If he’s not a first ballot hall of famer then there’s really no coach who should ever be a first ballot hall of famer.”
Brady brings up a good point. If Belichick isn’t on the first ballot… what coach will be?
In some ugly corners of the football internet, sportswriters hypothesized that Belichick’s repeated cheating scandals could be the reason why he will not be inducted right away. Really?
A few rogue camcorders at practice? A few footballs that were a bit deflated?
Listen, I’m not necessarily a Belichick fan or a fan of the Patriots whatsoever. But does the punishment really fit the crime to exclude one of the greatest coaches ever over a few minor scandals that were blown out of proportion because of how dominant New England was during that generation?
Cheating is never cool. But even without a few stray cameramen or deflated footballs, the Patriots dynasty still would have happened. Love him or hate him, Belichick was the leader of the organization for one of the most dominant stretches of football that the AFC has ever seen.
With all of those postseason victories and Super Bowl rings, Belichick’s snub will make it harder for the coaches that have followed him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame right away.
Just a few weeks ago, legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down from his position. There’s no way he can be first ballot if Belichick wasn’t — even though he has a compelling case. Whenever Andy Reid decides to walk away from coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, he won’t be able to enter Canton right away either, by the benchmark that he hadn’t won more postseason games or Super Bowls than Belichick.
Maybe the voters were trying to make a point about an individual who bent the rules during his time in the NFL. Perhaps all of the negative media attention surrounding Belichick’s personal relationship and struggles in college football have clouded his legacy.
But he’s one of the greatest coaches ever. Because of this precedent, it’ll be hard to induct any other coach right away.
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