Bill Belichick did not get into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. This shocking news has left people confused and in some cases angry. It’s unclear what exactly derailed his first-year candidacy, but there have been accusations and denials. Whatever the truth may be, Belichick will have to wait another year to be honored.
One person you can’t blame is Tom Brady. When Armando Salguero gave the presentation of Belichick’s case to his fellow Hall of Fame voters, it included a note from Brady, who spoke glowingly about his former coach. Salguero shared that note on X, formerly Twitter.
During my presentation I shared the following note with HOF selectors from Tom Brady:
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) January 28, 2026
“I don’t believe that any coach in the history of the game has done more to earn his place in the Hall of Fame than Bill Belichick. To say that he was my greatest coaching influence would be an…
“I don’t believe that any coach in the history of the game has done more to earn his place in the Hall of Fame than Bill Belichick. To say that he was my greatest coaching influence would be an understatement. His tremendous leadership, vision, and daily discipline allowed our team to excel in nearly every area for almost 2 decades. We were consistently competitive at the highest level every week as he challenged us to grow from the day that season started to the day it ended. That’s the role of the head coach and that’s Bill Belichick.
“I had a front row seat for 20 years watching the greatest coach of all time prepare, teach, and lead. He set the standard every single day. His mindset, his consistency, his ability to adapt and evolve — was unmatched. He expected a championship level standard from everyone in the building, and he got it. That’s why we won! And that’s why he belongs in Canton.
“I’m grateful for what we accomplished together, and I’ll always be proud of the team we built. No one’s more deserving of this honor than Coach Belichick.”
Those words should have meant a lot coming from Brady, a possible future first-ballot Hall of Famer himself. Unless of course, the same people who wanted to punish Belichick for a variety of reasons might also hold the same animus towards his longtime quarterback who will also become eligible for the honor in a couple years.
The next few votes will certainly be worth monitoring.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Fab's 2025 All-Breakout Fantasy Football Team Led By Drake Maye, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Inside Grateful Dead Legend Bob Weir’s Bay Area Flag Football Dynasty
- Tom Brady Had Blunt Four-Word Response to Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub
- What Does Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Mean For Tom Brady’s Impending Candidacy?
- What Todd Monken's Browns Hiring Means for John Harbaugh's Giants OC Position
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hall of Fame Voter Shared Tom Brady’s Passionate Note in Support of Bill Belichick.
