Much has been said about the illogical decision to snub Bill Belichick in his first Hall of Fame candidacy. In an era where it’s impossible to get people to agree on anything (up to and including the color of the sky), everyone agrees Belichick should be in.
Except, of course, for some of the folks on the Hall of Fame voting panel — as few as 11 out of 50 — who didn’t vote for Belichick.
Recent changes to the voting process have contributed to this bizarre result.
The candidates come from multiple tracks. A list of modern-era players is whittled down to 15, before the official selection meeting. Separately, various committees tee up one or more candidates from other categories: Currently, one coach, one contributor, three seniors (i.e., players who failed to be enshrined when they qualified for the “modern-era” category).
Previously, the modern-era players would be reduced from 15 to 10 to five at the selection meeting, with the voters then casting an up-or-down ballot as to each of the final five. If at least 80 percent voted “yes,” the finalist secured enshrinement.
Now, the modern-era list goes from 15 to 10 to seven. The voters then pick five of the seven. Those who appear on at least 80 percent of the ballots get in. That makes it harder for each of the seven finalists to advance to enshrinement — and it puts each of the seven modern-era finalists in direct competition with the rest of them.
As to the other categories, the finalists used to get their own up-or-down vote, with 80 percent being the magic number. Now, the five finalists from the coach, contributor, and seniors categories end up in the same bucket. Of the five, the voters pick three. Those who appear on 80 percent of the ballots get in. Which means that the five finalists from the coach, contributor, and seniors categories are in direct competition, too.
For 2026, Belichick was the coaching finalist. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor finalist. Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood were the seniors finalists.
Earlier this month, each of the 50 voters submitted a ballot with three of those five names on it. No one affirmatively voted “against” Belichick. Not enough (at least 40) put him on their three-of-five ballot.
The question for the 11 (or more) who omitted Belichick is why? It’s possible someone (or more than one someone) believed Belichick should wait, due to the Spygate scandal. It’s possible someone (or more than one someone) believed Belichick’s success was more about Tom Brady. It’s possible someone (or more than one someone) simply doesn’t like Belichick. It’s possible someone (or more than one someone) resents the manner in which he has conducted himself, professionally and/or personally, over the past year. It’s possible someone (or more than one someone) objects to him dating someone young enough to be his granddaughter.
It’s also possible that someone (or more than one someone) assumed Belichick would easily get to 40 votes, with the three votes going to others instead.
Whatever the reason(s), the current process makes it much harder to get in than it used to be. Which makes no sense. The Hall of Fame should have one standard that applies each and every year. Raising the bar in response to the criticisms of folks like Deion Sanders isn’t the answer. (The answer is to create an upper room to the Hall of Fame, consisting of the best of the best.)
Then there’s the question of how these rules get made and revised. No one seems to know, including the voters.
The Belichick snub may feel like an aberration, but it’s the direct result of a flawed process that cries out for comprehensive change. From top to bottom. Starting with the Board of Directors and ending with the panel of voters.
The fact that a no-brainer, mic-drop, first-ballot Hall of Famer like Belichick didn’t make it proves that the current voting system should be scrapped. And the process of coming up with a new voting system should be handled from square one by the right people.
To the extent that the omission of Belichick directly undermines the integrity of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it indirectly undermines the integrity of the NFL. And, since the Commissioner is a member of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors, he’s the most obvious person to figure out a way to tear down a broken system and to devise the most appropriate way to create a new one.
