Two Hall Of Fame Voters Reveal They Snubbed Bill Belichick – Fans Are Not Going To Like Their Reasons Why
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Two Pro Football Hall of Fame voters have identified themselves as part of the group that controversially snubbed Bill Belichick in the 2026 class.
On Tuesday, news broke that Bill Belichick was left off the ballot for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The news stunned the football world. Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James were among the notable athletes to criticize the voting decision.
Belichick is the only NFL head coach with six Super Bowl championships, not to mention the two he won as an assistant with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells. His 302 victories are also the third-most in league history.
To their credit? Two of the Hall of Fame voters have come forward and even explained the surprising decision to keep Belichick off their ballots.
Vahe Gregorian of The Kansas City Star is one of those voters. They could only vote for three of the five senior finalists. Gregorian felt the need to vote for three players who’ve waited a long time for their spots in Canton: Ken Anderson, L.C. Greenwood and Roger Craig:
In the last two years, under the new system fused together with the coach and contributor candidates, only three of the six senior nominees have made it through to the Hall.
All of that went into why I felt duty-bound to vote for the richly deserving seniors, who most likely won’t ever have a hearing again as more senior candidates enter the pool and fresh cases get made for others.
Meanwhile, Belichick is inevitable soon…as he should be. At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, he shouldn’t even have to wait. I understand why people are offended that he isn’t going in the first moment he can.
In the end, though, I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.”
Well, at least it sounds like Belichick has Gregorian’s vote for next year.
Another Voter Prioritized Robert Kraft Over Belichick
Mike Chappell of FOX 59 in Indianapolis also addressed his decision to exclude Belichick this year. Chappell emphasized that, contrary to speculation, Belichick was not snubbed because of his testy relationship with the media.
For Chappell, he voted for two of the senior candidates and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Here’s why he chose Belichick’s former boss over the legendary head coach himself:
“Kraft’s role in building the Patriots dynasty beginning in 1994 AND his undeniable role in helping negotiate the end of the 100-play-day work stoppage in 2011 – while his wife was gravely ill – that has resulted in long-standing labor peace. He’s also been involved behind the scenes in bolstering the NFL’s ever-increasing TV revenue.
Belichick and Spygate. There’s no denying the staggering numbers (333 wins, second only to Don Shula’s 347) and Super Bowl championships (six as the Patriots head coach, two more as a New York Giants’ assistant).”
As mind-boggling as it is that Belichick wasn’t voted in his first year of eligibility? This will all blow over when he’s inevitably inducted into the Hall of Fame next year. The extra wait is irritating, yes, but his place in Canton is not in doubt.
