In Major Snub, Bill Belichick Denied As First Ballot Hall Of Famer

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by Sam LanierJanuary 28, 2026, 1:47 am >

On Tuesday evening, it was reported that eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick would not make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.

Belichick failed to receive the 40 of 50 votes he needed to make it, in a puzzling and confusing result.

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With 333 career wins and hoisting the Lombardi trophy more than any other coach in the history of the sport, Bill Belichick is somehow not a first ballot Hall of Famer. Former players under Belichick have been extremely vocal about this bizarre decision. Former New England Patriot Damien Woody took to X to voice his frustrations, saying whoever didn’t vote for Belichick “should never have a vote again.” Belichick won 17 division titles and nine conference championships, the most by any coach in the Super Bowl era.

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Patrick Mahomes also took to X to voice his thoughts on the situation, posting, “Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible.”

Some wonder whether the reason the legendary coach was left out was politics and his off-field behavior. Belichick was considered a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, and some would argue that the Hall of Fame is even what it is without arguably the best coach of all time.

The Hall of Fame voting committee is made up of veteran NFL reporters and former football figures. The committee will have to answer for this decision as the entire football world seems stunned.

Belichick, 73, is currently the head coach at the University of North Carolina and is heading into his second season with the university.