Adam Vinatieri turned his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony speech into a stand-up bit, with the kicker firing off jabs at his former coach Bill Belichick, his former holder Pat McAfee and former teammate Peyton Manning.
The worst of one, though, went toward the 74-year-old Belichick and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
“Unfortunately, Bill couldn’t make it here today,” Vinatieri said Saturday during his speech in Canton, Ohio. “There’s a lot going on at UNC right now. He might be on a recruiting trip right now looking for the next Lawrence Taylor. I thought it was because training camp had already started. But in truth, it’s because he’s judging his girlfriend’s cheerleading competition.”
The Tar Heels, who Belichick took over ahead of the 2025 season in what turned out to be a major flop of a year, have dealt with an off-field issue recently — with general manager Michael Lombardi placed on administrative leave following a human resources complaint filed by a former employee, according to ESPN.
Belichick has also attended cheerleading competitions for Hudson in the past.
Vinatieri, 53, spent the first 10 years of his career with Belichick and the Patriots, winning three titles as a player under Belichick and earning two All-Pro honors.
He went from an undrafted player in 1996 out of South Dakota State to, after Belichick arrived four years later in 2000, booting the game-winning kicks in two Super Bowls.
And despite the joke, Vinatieri thanked Belichick and called him the greatest coach of all time.
“Thank you for demanding excellence every single day,” Vinatieri said of Belichick. “Your preparation, discipline and attention to detail shaped far more than my football career.”
Vinatieri added a fourth title while with the Colts, where he spent the final 14 years of his career and played alongside McAfee — the Indianapolis punter — and Manning.
In a NSFW jab, Vinatieri said that McAfee is “the only person who enjoyed holding my balls more than my wife,” while he mocked Manning for “generously donating your forehead” to serve as the teleprompter.
“A gigantic forehead means a big brain, and your football IQ is unmatched, buddy,” Vinatieri said of Manning. “The way you managed the offense, the team, everything in the entire organization, was incredible. Your leadership led this team to greatness.”
Vinatieri, who last kicked in an NFL game in 2019 and announced his retirement in 2021, received the Hall of Fame nod in his second year on the ballot and became just the third true placekicker inducted.
He also set league records for points (2,673), field goals (599) and consecutive field goals made (44), according to the Hall of Fame, and Vinatieri was inducted Saturday alongside quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly and running back Roger Craig.
