With six Super Bowl wins and three Coach of the Year awards, the feeling was that a
Bill Belichick Hall of Fame induction was inevitable. It still may come to pass, but it won’t
happen as a first ballot selection. In a move that makes absolutely no sense at all, the
Football Hall of Fame decided that the greatest coach in the history of the sport
shouldn’t get into Canton on his first try. They want to serve him some humble pie.
According to reports, the push to stiff Belichick in his first year of eligibility was
spearheaded by former Colts general manager Bill Polian. There are a number of
coaches and front office personnel who have a beef with the success the Patriots had
over a 20-year span, and now they are lashing out. It’s embarrassing, disgusting, and
completely asinine.
Reaction From The NFL World
After the announcement, people from all over the NFL landscape began chiming in on
talk shows, radio shows, and social media. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick
Mahomes took to Twitter and said, “Insane…don’t understand how this could be
possible.”JJ att tweeted out, “I can’t be reading this right.” Fox announcer, former Dallas
Cowboys quarterback, and a Hall of Famer himself, Troy Aikman put out there, “A
disappointing day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Even the coach had a five-word response to the decision, stating, “Six Super Bowls isn’t
enough?”
The decision has nothing to do with his resume and is all about personal vendettas. The
people who made themselves look like absolute dopes will say it has to do with the
muddy waters that his career boat (not his actual boat, aptly named Eight Rings) sailed
in. There were two big conspiracies during his reign at the top, and neither is as big as
opposing fan bases make them out to be.
Falsely Called A Cheater
The first thing Belichick got slapped for was Spygate, which is completely
misunderstood. To those not in the know, the coach was penalized for videotaping
opposing teams’ defensive signals. To those in the know, there is no rule prohibiting this,
not even today in the NEL. In fact, right before this story broke, the NFL sent every team
a memo saying videotaping the other team’s sideline is allowed during the game.
If it’s allowed, then what did Belichick get in trouble for? In the same memo, it states
that there are designated stations where teams can videotape their opponent from. And
they aren’t allowed to videotape from anywhere else. Belichick chose to video from a
non-designated area, and it cost him $1 million and a first-round pick. When owner Bob
Kraft asked Belichick how much of an advantage he gained from his location, the coach
replied, “Maybe 1%.”
Tied to this story is the FALSE (yes, all caps are warranted here) narrative that the
Patriots videotaped the Los Angeles Rams walkthrough before the Super Bowl, giving
them an unfair advantage, which is why they won the game. The reporter who broke the
story has since retracted and said he made the whole thing up to further his career, but
there are still fans and players (especially Marshall Faulk) who believe it.
The other incident Belichick is tied to is Defaltegate. Right from the start, when he was
asked about the inflation (or lack of) footballs his team used, Belichick said, “You have
to ask Tom about that.” Every quarterback in the league has their inflation preference,
and allegedly, Tom likes the game balls a little softer. A thorough investigation by the
league into the matter stated their conclusion as, “There is no evidence that air was
taken out of the footballs, and no evidence tying Tom Brady to it if there was. With that
said, we think it happened.”
Bill Belichick Hall Of Fame Situation Needs To Be Fixed
There are some out there who will think this is fantastic. They love the idea of sticking it
to Belichick and the Patriots, but would they be as happy if it happened to their team
and their coach or player? It is widely expected that former Minnesota Vikings running
back Adrian Peterson will get in on the first ballot, and he beat up a 2-year-old child.
Apparently, that is better than filming from next to the designated filming station.
