Six-time Super Bowl–winning coach Bill Belichick was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to an ESPN report released Tuesday.
Citing four unidentified sources, ESPN reported that Belichick failed to receive the required 40 votes from the 50-member selection committee, which includes media members and Hall of Famers. Belichick was reportedly informed of the decision during a call from the Hall of Fame last Friday.
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame does not comment on the voting of the Selection Committee and awaits the unveiling of the Class of 2026 at ‘NFL Honors’ on Feb. 5 in San Francisco,” the Hall said in a statement to NFL Media.
News of Belichick’s omission drew swift and widespread reaction across the league. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called the decision “insane” on social media, adding, “don’t even understand how this could be possible.”
Belichick, hired by the New England Patriots in 2000, guided the franchise to six Super Bowl championships and three additional Super Bowl appearances from 2001 to 2018. He ranks second all-time in combined regular-season and postseason wins with 333, trailing only Don Shula, and was named AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.
Before his historic run in New England, Belichick established himself as one of the league’s top defensive minds, winning two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
His résumé was not without controversy. Belichick was fined $500,000 in 2007 after the Patriots were found to have filmed opposing defensive signals in the “Spygate” scandal.
Belichick’s tenure in New England ended after the 2023 season, and he recently completed his first year as a college head coach at North Carolina.
Belichick was one of five finalists in the coaches, contributors and senior players category, which includes individuals whose final NFL season came in 2000 or earlier. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor finalist, while Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood represented the players.
Between one and three finalists from that group will be inducted, along with three to five modern-era players, when the Hall of Fame announces its Class of 2026.
