In a stunning display of spiteful acridity, the voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame failed to honor Bill Belichick with the acclaim of first-ballot Hall of Famer. Yes, it is indeed as head-scratchingly idiotic as it might sound…
Somehow, in their infinitely lacking wisdom, the voters decided that the greatest coach of the Super Bowl era, if not all-time, is not worthy of immediate enshrinement in Canton.
Technically, it’s not every voter. There are 50 of them, carefully curated and protected by anonymous voting each year. A minimum of 40 votes is required for enshrinement, with the voting taking place after each candidate is presented by an individual voter who highlights the reasons why this person might be worthy of football’s ultimate honor.
In Belichick’s case, Armando Salguero of Outkick was the presenting voter. While his presentation probably shouldn’t have required more than just saying his name and a picture of all Belichick’s Super Bowl rings (6 as head coach, 2 more as coordinator), Salguero did indeed go well above and beyond that. The longtime Miami columnist detailed his case in an expansive explanation that is worthy of reading.
It’s idiotic that Salguero has to even explain it. If Belichick isn’t worthy of the Hall of Fame, who is?! At least 11 of the 50 voters decided that their personal beef, whatever it might be, with the abrasively gruff Belichick was more important than the coach’s unprecedented success, or common sense. Belichick’s role in Spygate--for which he was suspended--remains a major thorn in his otherwise rosy candidacy.
This isn’t baseball, where voters continue to hold a vendetta against Pete Rose for blatantly violating rules. A recalcitrant Rose never admitted he did anything wrong and remained banished for life. Belichick, on the other hand, served his league-issued punishment and then went back to being the best coach alive for another decade. If sanctimonious voters, or senile ones like Bill Polian--who cannot recall his own vote!--are willing to deny Belichick’s greatness and insanely decorated accomplishments, they’ve lost their mission as voters. They should lose their status as voters, too. Period.