Bill Belichick will have to wait at least another year before getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The former New England Patriots head coach won’t be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026, denying him entry on his first ballot, ESPN reported. Belichick, who was named a finalist for induction as part of the Class of 2026, needed at least 40 of the 50 votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s unclear how many votes he received.
Belichick, 73, is one of the most decorated coaches in NFL history. His six Super Bowl titles as a head coach are the most ever, while he has the second-most wins ever for an NFL head coach (333, regular season and postseason combined).
Even though Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the Patriots saw New England achieve an unprecedented amount of success in the Super Bowl era, there were some controversies surrounding his stint with the team. Belichick was implicated in the team’s videotaping scandal to illegally steal signs in 2007, known as Spygate, and was fined $500,000. Spygate, along with Deflategate, was brought up by the Hall of Fame voters during their deliberations ahead of voting, ESPN reported.
The Patriots parted ways with Belichick following the 2023 season, when they went 4-13. Belichick, who coached the Cleveland Browns for five seasons in the 1990s (1991-95), became the head coach of North Carolina in 2025, going 4-8 in his first season at the helm.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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