Brady latest to slam Belichick Hall of Fame snub

Tom Brady joined the chorus of voices questioning Bill Belichick’s snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, saying the voting committee’s decision is “completely ridiculous.”

Brady voiced his opinion on the news during an interview with Seattle Sports 710-AM on Wednesday, one day after ESPN reported that Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for Hall induction during his first year of eligibility.

“I don’t understand it,” said Brady, who played under Belichick for 20 seasons with the New England Patriots. “I mean, I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.

“He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I’m picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl — give me one season — I’m taking Bill Belichick. So that’s enough said.”

The quarterback-coach combination of Brady and Belichick famously teamed to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories and nine conference championships. Multiple sources who spoke with Belichick over the weekend described him as “puzzled” and “disappointed” by his inability to secure support from at least 80% of Hall committee members.

Belichick was one of five finalists among coaches, contributors and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor finalist, with Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood the players.

“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves,” Kraft said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press.

“As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.”

Belichick has a career NFL record of 333-178, including playoffs — second only to Don Shula’s 347 in terms of all-time coaching wins. Belichick also was one of the NFL’s top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

Belichick’s career did have blemishes. He was implicated in a sign-stealing scandal dubbed Spygate in the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after the team was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.

Brady, who will become eligible for Hall induction in 2028, cited “popularity” and “the world of voting” when discussing the snub but also stressed that Belichick will eventually be enshrined in Canton.

“When it comes down to votes and popularity and all that, then welcome to the world of voting,” Brady said. “You might as well try out for the Oscars and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. It’s the way that it works unfortunately. He’s going to get into the Hall of Fame. In the end, I’m not worried about that.”

Several other prominent football figures, including Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, shared their stunned reactions over Belichick’s snub.

Belichick’s tenure in New England ended following the 2023 season. He just finished his first year coaching in college at North Carolina.

Armando Salguero, OutKick’s senior NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter, was the one who presented Belichick in the Hall’s subcommittee meeting that selected him to advance to the full 50-member selection body. Salguero then presented Belichick to the full selectors’ committee in a meeting Jan. 13.

Salguero is among the voters who selected Belichick and are urging the others to reveal themselves.

“They should identify themselves as the people who kept Belichick out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year,” Salguero wrote in a column. “I am saying that here, and would say as much to their face. Their votes sunk Belichick’s chances and embarrassed the Hall of Fame in the process.

“They make all selectors look bad, and they shouldn’t hide behind their minority vote to protect themselves at the expense of the wider group. I know it’s a wider group because I’ve spoken with a lot of selectors since our meeting, and they agreed with my vote for Belichick.”

Brady added Wednesday that when Belichick is ultimately inducted, he will “have a huge turnout” of people in Canton to celebrate his storied career.

“A lot of times in life for all of us, things don’t happen exactly how you want them or on your timeline,” Brady said. “But we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does happen, and he’s going to have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches that appreciated everything he did, the commitment he made to winning and the impact that he had on all our lives.”

On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released a statement that did not name Bill Belichick but said that if any member of the 50-member selection body “violated the selection process bylaws, they understand action will be taken.”

“That could include the possibility that such selector(s) would not remain a member of the committee moving forward,” the statement said. “The selection of a new class is the most important duty the Hall of Fame oversees each year, and the integrity of that process cannot be in question.”

It’s unclear what bylaws the Hall of Fame was referring to in its statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.