Tom Brady perplexed over Bill Belichick failing to make Hall of Fame on first ballot
Tom Brady was just as perplexed as the rest of the NFL world when it was learned that Bill Belichick wouldn’t be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
The Belichick snub, despite eight total Super Bowl rings in his career, was reported by ESPN on Tuesday night. He needed to get 40 of the 50 votes to earn his place in Canton, Ohio, being on the ballot for the first time.
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Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with Belichick while the two were on the New England Patriots, went to bat for his former head coach.
"To me, I don’t understand it," he said Wednesday in an appearance on "Brock & Salk Mornings" in Seattle. "I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I’m picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick.
"So that’s enough said. Outside of that, again, when it comes down to votes and popularity, and all that, like, welcome to the world of voting. He may as well go try out for the Oscars or whatever and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. It’s the way it works, unfortunately."
Brady said he was confident that Belichick would get into the Hall of Fame eventually.
"He’s gonna get into the Hall of Fame," he continued. "In the end, I’m not worried about that. A lot of times in life, for all of us, things don’t happen exactly how you want them on your timeline but we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does happen. He’s gonna have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches that appreciated everything he did and the commitment he made to winning and the impact he had on all our lives and that’ll be a great celebration when it happens."
It’s unclear who left him off the ballot.
The class of 2026 won’t officially be revealed until next week in the lead up to Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group from the modern-era players category along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Belichick was "puzzled" and "disappointed" with the decision and that he wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to get in immediately, ESPN reported.
"Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments," another source told the outlet.
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