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Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey said Wednesday it was “unfortunate” that Bill Belichick didn’t make it to Canton on the first ballot, but he understood why.
Bailey suggested that Belichick’s relationships with the media may have altered how the vote unfolded.
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Champ Bailey before the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on October 6, 2024. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
“I’m surprised. I would love to know the reasoning behind not voting for him because I could see, on the one hand, why some people wouldn’t and, on the other hand, I could see why he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Bailey said on “Up & Adams.” “There are a lot of questions about his time as a head coach. You have Spygate and all those other things that happened. So you have to worry about that.
“Also, he was never very friendly to the media. So what I’ve understood throughout my career, and before, and definitely after, is that media relations determine a lot of the awards you get. I don’t think that diminishes what he’s done. I mean, he’s been an eight-time Super Bowl champion. The guy did it all from a success standpoint. It’s unfortunate that we’re here, but there are other guys who deserve to be the first vote that I can name. “It’s not the first vote. “There’s still a Hall of Fame and he’s one of them.”
Belichick famously kept his answers secret throughout his career. He would have a handful of viral moments explaining X’s and O’s from time to time. Above all, however, he was brief with journalists.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be on the sidelines in 2023. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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It wasn’t until he left the New England Patriots that his personal life became more exposed. Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson became the talk of the sports world last year when he took over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Still, a few blunt responses to the media may not be the main reason Belichick wasn’t on the first ballot. One voter suggested that the voting process in the category he was in was complicated.
He was caught up in the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during his time. ESPN reported that the cheating scandals influenced some voters’ decision about Belichick’s candidacy.
Bill Belichick answers questions during the postgame press conference between the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 24, 2022 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Belichick’s coaching tree seemed as strong as ever. The Patriots will return to the Super Bowl with Mike Vrabel at the helm. Vrabel won three titles with Belichick. Josh McDaniels, another member of Belichick’s staff, also serves as the team’s offensive coordinator.
