The Pro Football Hall of Fame has spoken.
Not about Bill Belichick’s snub — at least not directly.
The Hall of Fame posted a statement on Wednesday evening, about 24 hours after ESPN reported that former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would not be elected during his first year of candidacy.
While the Hall did not mention Belichick or the ensuing kerfuffle after the news broke, it did say it would remove any voters who violated any of the organization’s bylaws.
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame understands and respects the passionate reaction of many fans, media members and enshrines of the Hall itself in light of published reports regarding the voting results for the Class of 2026. It’s that very passion that propels the game. The Hall also respects the members of the Selection Committee when they follow the selection process bylaws. It is an honor to serve as a selector.
“Each year, the Hall reviews the selection process and the composition of the 50-person Selection Committee. If it is determined that any members) violated the selection process bylaws, they understand action will be taken. That could include the possibility that such selectors) would not remain a member of the committee moving forward. 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.”
While it’s not clear what bylaws may or may not have been broken this week, the actual results of the vote were not supposed to be revealed to the public until the NFL Honors awards show on Feb. 5.
But when the Worldwide Leader reported that Belichick, in his first year on the ballot, was not going to be elected, there was an enormous firestorm from the football community — including from the likes of Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson.
While the final vote total is a little murky, Belichick did not hit the requisite 80 percent (40 of 50 votes) to be reach enshrinement in 2026.
One selection committee member, Kansas City Star columnist Vahe Gregorian, revealed Wednesday that he did not vote for Belichick. The decision did not have anything to do with the Spygate or Deflategate controversies, but rather Gregorian wrote that he chose to pick Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood based on the “curious selection dynamics” for coach, contributor and senior members up for election.
The columnist added that Belichick is obviously deserving of the honor and his election will be “inevitable.”
