A second Hall of Fame voter has now confirmed that he did not vote for Bill Belichick, a development that has intensified criticism of both the decision itself and the way the Hall of Fame voting process is structured.
Mike Chappell of Fox59.com, who holds the Indianapolis vote on the 50-person panel, disclosed that he excluded Belichick from his ballot.
That puts him alongside Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star as the only two voters, so far, to publicly acknowledge leaving the former New England Patriots coach out.
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Under the current rules, Belichick was placed in a five-person group that also included Patriots owner Robert Kraft and senior candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood.
Each voter was allowed to select only three names. Chappell chose Kraft and two players, meaning Belichick did not make the cut.
Chappell said his vote for Kraft was based on the owner’s broader influence on the league, not just the Patriots’ on-field success.
He highlighted 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.”
Chappell also noted that Kraft has “also been involved behind the scenes in bolstering the NFL’s ever-increasing TV revenue.”
Spygate resurfaces as a decisive factor
When explaining why he did not vote for Belichick, Chappell pointed directly to Spygate, the Patriots’ 2007 videotaping scandal. He also revealed that Deflategate was mentioned during the discussion, a detail that had not previously been known to factor into deliberations.
“There’s no erasing the stain of Spygate from his bio,” Chappell wrote. “This wasn’t alleged behavior. The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 – the maximum allowed – along with docking the Patriots $250,000 and a first-round draft pick for illegally videotaping New York Jets signals in 2007.”
Chappell was also critical of the voting format itself, particularly the practice of grouping senior players with coaches and contributors. In his view, that structure forces voters into uncomfortable trade-offs and leads to distorted outcomes.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Kraft and Belichick pulled votes from each other,” Chappell added.
Despite the controversy, Chappell insisted that his decision should not be read as a statement on Belichick’s overall worthiness. He said his failure to vote “in no way insinuates Belichick isn’t Hall-of-Fame-worthy,” and added that he fully expects Belichick to be elected next year.
Chappell also rejected the idea that Belichick’s famously tense relationship with the media played a role, calling that theory “asinine.” Even so, he acknowledged that he cannot know what motivated other voters to raise Spygate as an obstacle.
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