Bill Belichick is not headed to the Hall of Fame despite owning one of the most impressive coaching résumés in all of sports. It seems that a concerted effort from a shadowy football cabal kept the longtime Patriots head coach from becoming a first ballot Hall of Famer. Instead, he'll have to wait. The question is, for how long?
Most people publicly disagree with Belichick being kept out of the Hall for whatever reasons because of his many accomplishments. There is no question he has earned his spot in the Hall of Fame and however you feel about Belichick personally, you cannot say he does not deserve the honor.
And so another question arises—does the same fate await Tom Brady?
The NFL's all-time leading passer, who lent his support to Belichick's Hall of Fame case, may be the only person with a more impressive CV than Belichick. In addition to throwing the most touchdowns in league history, he also won a Super Bowl without his longtime coach.
But you also can't deny the coach and quarterback go hand-in-hand in NFL history.
They won six Super Bowls together while they dominated their division for two straight decades. If you're going to hold Spygate and Deflategate and general annoyance at how they did things in New England during that time against one of them, how can you let the other slide? Where's the justice in making Belichick suffer while the guy who destroyed his cell phone and was suspended for four games in 2016 doesn't?
Who's to say this even started with Belichick? Robert Kraft, the guy who paid for everything and empowered those two, had to wait 14 years to even become a finalist in the Class of 2026. Kraft bought the team in 1994 and had them in the Super Bowl within three seasons. Then he hired Bill Belichick and drafted Tom Brady. By the time he was first eligible his team had won three Super Bowls and been to six. Then Kraft was also eligible as his team won three more Super Bowls over a five-year stretch.
Kraft has been campaigning for years with his case already made. Much like the case that Belichick already made and the case that Brady shouldn't have to make when he becomes eligible in 2028. Is the shame of being involved in keeping one of the greatest coaches ever out of the Hall of Fame for an extra year enough to stop it form happening with the most accomplished player of all time?
There's also the possibility that making Belichick wait another couple cycles so that he goes in the same year as Brady would be an effective punishment for both men in the eyes of the grudge-holder.
We won't find out until it actually happens. All we know for sure is that Brady and Belichick both belong in the Hall of Fame and no amount of spiteful ballots can ever change that reality. It's a truth that must really bother the vindictive voters who kept Belichick out, which just means the coach is the won who actually won yet again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Does Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Mean For Tom Brady’s Impending Candidacy?.
