Patrick Mahomes, JJ Watt, Ryan Clark among those stunned by Bill Belichick’s reported Hall of Fame snub: ‘I can’t be reading this right’

Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls as a head coach, two more as an assistant and is considered by some to be the greatest coach in football history. Even those who disagree cannot in good faith contend that he’s not the most accomplished coach in the history of the game. 

On Tuesday, news broke that that résumé is not good enough to earn Belichick induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. 

This is according to ESPN, which reported that Belichick fell short of the 40-vote threshold (out of a possible 50) required for induction to the Hall. Per the report, Belichick received the bad news directly from the Hall on Friday.

‘Don’t even understand how this could be possible’

Belichick has not responded to the news in public, but proclaimed “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” when he heard of the news, according to the report. And he had plenty of high-profile support in his corner on Tuesday with reactions from peers and rivals ranging from dismay, outrage and shock that Belichick didn’t make the Hall of his first ballot.

Patrick Mahomes, whose Kansas City Chiefs were Belichick’s biggest rival at the end of his New England Patriots tenure, called the news “insane.”

Retired 3-time Defensive Player of the Year and future Hall of Famer JJ Watt couldn’t believe his eyes.

Ryan Clark, who played for New England’s rival Pittsburgh Steelers during Belichick’s reign, wrote that the decision disqualifies any future coach from entering the Hall on his first ballot. 

Other players, NFL executives and a longtime Hall of Fame voter were among the others to express their dismay at the news.

In case you have trouble reading the above tweet, that’s venerated NFL reporter and 32-year Hall of Fame voter Peter King responding to the ESPN report:

“Holy f***! … I’m very, very surprised,” King said, per ESPN.

Hall of Fame voter Mike Sando wrote that he considered Belichick to be a “slam-dunk” candidate, but offered an explanation of newly enacted voting rules that may or may not have impacted Belichick’s first-ballot candidacy. 

Regardless, people wanted to know as soon as the news broke who didn’t vote for Belichick. And why? Who did and didn’t vote for Belichick was not clear from the report.

As for the why? It’s not like coaches don’t make it on the their first ballot. It’s rare, but Tom Landry, Don Shula and Chuck Noll all made it on their first ballot in classes that weren’t the Hall’s inaugural. Belichick certainly stands alongside and arguably above those coaches in the annals of NFL history.

Did scandals cost Belichick?

During and since his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick has generated his share of unflattering headlines. His name is tied to a pair of scandals — Spygate and Deflategate — whose respective egregiousness depends on the eyes of the beholder. 

Per ESPN, this was enough to compel former rival executive Bill Polian (Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills) to launch a campaign among voters that Belichick should “wait a year.” Polian is a Hall of Fame voter. 

Belichick’s post-Patriots tenure as the head coach of North Carolina can be aptly described as embarrassing on multiple levels. But again, the guy won eight total Super Bowls, and this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His UNC tenure is not relevant here. 

Until and unless voters explain themselves, the reason for Belichick’s snub will remain a mystery.