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One of the known early voters who did not select Bill Belichick as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot has explained his choice.
The Kansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian wrote a column Wednesday revealing that he was one of at least 11 Hall of Fame voters who did not mark Belichick, shocking the football world when the news broke Tuesday.
While that report indicated Belichick’s involvement in scandals with the New England Patriots such as Spygate and Deflategate, Gregorian, who has been covering the league for nearly 40 years, said that was not his reasoning for leaving the coach off his ballot.
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Then-New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was denied entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Gregorian said the Hall’s “curious selection dynamic” led him to cast his votes elsewhere.
To explain further, Belichick was part of a five-person group separate from the 15-person ballot of the modern era, where each voter is tasked with selecting just three members to enter the Hall. Among them are three senior candidates, a collaborator and a coach.
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Belichick was the coach on this year’s ballot, while coincidentally, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was nominated as a contributor.
But Gregorian explained why he decided to cast his three votes for the three core members (Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and LC Greenwood), who he believed deserved a spot in Canton.
Gregorian said he felt “obliged” to cast his vote for the higher-ranking candidates, believing they were possibly looking at their last chances to enter the Hall.
“The three have long deserved to be inducted into the Hall,” he wrote in his column. “All three have been, well, snubbed for decades.”
A veteran NFL reporter revealed why he didn’t check Belichick’s name on his Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot. (Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Gregorian’s thought process was that Belichick would inevitably get in, but once he saw that he didn’t get the necessary 80% of the votes on his first ballot, the veteran writer understood the vitriol and backlash that was received once the news broke.
“At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, [Belichick] He shouldn’t even have to wait,” Gregorian’s column read. “I understand why people are offended that he doesn’t go the first moment he can.
“I felt more compelled by what I perceive as last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it, a system that I hope the Hall sees fit to change now.”
Kraft called Belichick the “greatest coach of all time,” while Tom Brady said he couldn’t understand why his former mentor in Foxborough, Massachusetts, isn’t heading to Canton, Ohio, this summer.
Many others, including Patrick Mahomes, JJ Watt, Ryan Clark and Pat McAfee, shared their disbelief after reading the news.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others have called Belichick the “greatest coach of all time.” (Steven Senne, File/AP Photo)
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Belichick has the second-most wins by a head coach of all time, trailing only the great Don Shula. He won six Super Bowls in New England and two while he was defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
While Gregorian was brave enough to face the backlash, it is unknown if the other writers who did not vote for Belichick will come forward.
