Bill Belichick reportedly snubbed, won’t be first-ballot Hall of Famer

New England Patriots

Bill Belichick won eight Super Bowls as a coach, including six as head coach of the Patriots.

By Conor Ryan

January 27, 2026 | 6:42 PM

2 minutes to read

Bill Belichick won’t be earning a spot in Canton in 2026. 

The legendary Patriots head coach and eight-time Super Bowl champion will not be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, sources told ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. . 

As such, Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer despite his role in New England’s two-decade dynasty. 

According to Wickersham and Van Natta, the 73-year-old Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction and was informed last Friday by a Hall representative that he didn’t make the cut.

“Several sources who spoke with the coach over the weekend described Belichick as “puzzled” and “disappointed” by his inability to secure support from at least 80% of Hall committee members,” Wickersham and Van Natta wrote. “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” Belichick asked an associate, referring to the championships he won as head coach of the New England Patriots. 

“He won two more as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. To another associate, he said, ‘What does a guy have to do?’ Another source familiar with Belichick’s thinking said, ‘Politics kept him out. He doesn’t believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments.’”

Belichick posted a career record of 333-178, including playoffs, as a head coach — with those 333 victories second only to Don Shula. He won two Super Bowls as the Giants defensive coordinator before presiding over a Patriots team that won six titles over his 24 years as head coach. 

The 50-person voting committee is primarily made up of longtime NFL reporters, but also includes established football figures like former general manager Bill Polian and former coach Tony Dungy.

Citing multiple sources, both Wickersham and Van Natta said that several voters decried Belichick’s ties to both the “Spygate” and “Deflategate” scandals as reasons why he didn’t earn a spot in the Hall this year despite his coaching credentials. 

“A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent [Robert] Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts — a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty — told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick,” Wickersham and Van Natta wrote. “Commissioner Roger Goodell also fined the Patriots $500,000 and fined Belichick $250,000.”

Longtime Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also one of the finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. Any inductees will be announced next week during Super Bowl XL activities.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.