Bill Belichick will stunningly have to wait in line before being enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach has not been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
“In voting earlier this month, Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility,” the duo wrote for ESPN.com on Tuesday. “Belichick received a call from a Hall representative last Friday afternoon with the news that he won't be inducted into the Hall in Canton, Ohio, this summer.”
A stunner from @DVNJr and me: Bill Belichick is not a first ballot Hall of Famer. He didn't get elected this year. The 8-time champion failed to 40 out of the 50 votes required for induction.https://t.co/JS6a9sTttt
— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) January 27, 2026
“Six Super Bowls isn't enough?” Belichick reportedly asked an associate, per Wickersham and Van Natta Jr.—who added that he also asked another, "What does a guy have to do?”
While Belichick is widely considered to be among the greatest coaches in NFL history, his 24-season tenure coaching the Patriots also saw multiple alleged cheating scandals—Spygate and Deflategate—come to light, which reportedly came up in deliberations among voters.
“The only explanation [for the outcome] was the cheating stuff, ”a veteran Hall of Fame voter told ESPN. “It really bothered some of the guys.”
Belichick, 73, coached the Patriots from 2000 to '23 and amassed a 333-178 overall record—regular and postseason combined—while winning 17 AFC East titles, nine conference championships, and six Super Bowls.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Bill Belichick Shockingly Snubbed From Pro Football Hall of Fame on First Ballot.
