There literally are no guarantees in life anymore!
One of the things we all thought was a sure-fire guarantee was Bill Belichick being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. When you have the type of resume he does, it's hard to justify not putting him in, regardless of the scandals that his New England Patriot teams were involved in,
However, news surfaced that stunned the football world: Belichick did not get the necessary amount of votes to be inducted as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
What. The. Heck.
Bill Belichick, the 8-time Super Bowl-winning HC, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, per @SethWickersham and @DVNJr. Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.https://t.co/ooJutI0C0Q
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026
These are just some of the stats that go along with defining Belichick's resume (along with his all-time ranking in parentheses):
6 Super Bowl titles (1st)
9 Conference Championships (1st)
31 Playoff wins (1st)
302 regular season wins (3rd)
333 total wins (2nd)
Now, I don't know about you, but the math isn't mathing!
This is simply mind-boggling. Now, we're not saying Belichick is a saint: he's a grumpy old man who has rubbed some media members the wrong way over the years. The pair of scandals in New England are also questionable areas on his resume, but how can you use that solely to justify not voting for him to be a first ballot Hall of Famer?
Are some of the voters mad he's still coaching and want him to be fully retired?
Are some of the voters trying to "punish him" for the scandals?
At this point, who knows, but we do know this: those voters who did not vote for Belichick should have their credentials checked.
In fact, social media is in an uproar over this news. Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had quite a few battles against Belichick-led teams, took to X to voice his opinion on this matter.
Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible https://t.co/EiKUeRPffn
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 27, 2026
For someone who loves the sport of football as a whole, this is a disgraceful day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Whether you like him or not, Bill Belichick was snubbed of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, an honor that he rightfully earned for putting together a historic coaching career.