Bill Belichick reportedly will have to wait for his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Belichick, who is an eight-time Super Bowl champion thanks to his spectacular stints as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and head coach of the New England Patriots, fell short for induction during his first year of eligibility, according to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham.
It’s about as shocking a result as one could imagine…
Belichick himself was described as “puzzled” and “disappointed” by the result, which is the only one reported on, as of Jan. 27. Van Natta and Wickersham reported that sources told them how Spygate and Deflategate, the twin cheating scandals during his tenure in New England, came up in deliberations among voters on Jan. 13.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig, and former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood, are among those in the coaching/contributor/senior categories up for consideration.
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame allows voters to choose just three people from each of those categories, which helps explain the fact that Belichick did not receive the 40 of 50 votes necessary for enshrinement.
Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan are the eight other semifinalists in the coaches category this year.
How do you feel about the decision? Let us know in the comments?
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Featured image via Eric Canha/Imagn Images
