In terms of Super Bowl success, there has not been a better coach in NFL history than Bill Belichick. He won six championships as a head coach with the New England Patriots, two more as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants and seemed to be on a path toward enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He very well might. But it will reportedly not be on the first ballot.
Why Bill Belichick is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham reported on Tuesday that Belichick did not receive the required votes for induction on his first year of eligibility and that, per sources, cheating scandals are the main reason why.
While Belichick’s resume is without question Hall-of-Fame worthy, it was not without its controversy. Several of his championships with the Patriots came under the cloud of the Spygate and Deflategate scandals that resulted in punishments for both the organization and starting quarterback Tom Brady.
While they may not be enough to permanently keep him out, Hall of Fame voters see themselves as the arbiter of what is right and wrong in their respective sports, and anything that is even remotely related to cheating will usually catch a critical eye from them. It is why so many of baseball’s greatest players are not in Cooperstown. It is also reportedly a big reason why Belichick did not get the required votes here.
The question is whether or not this is a permanent punishment or just a temporary message.
The other two issues that Belichick might have to contend with are a contentious relationship with the media and the fact his career success was directly tied to Brady. Butting heads with the people who control your fate is not always a recipe for success.
His head-coaching tenures with the Cleveland Browns and post-Brady Patriots were not good. You could even go as far as to call them bad. When you add in the scandal, and the fact Brady won another Super Bowl without Belichick, and there are definitely some issues with his resume that might make people second guess an immediate, first-ballot vote for him.
He might eventually get in. But it is clear the voters have some concerns.