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Tom Brady was as perplexed as the rest of the NFL world when it emerged that Bill Belichick would not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Belichick’s snub, despite eight total Super Bowl rings in his career, was reported by ESPN on Tuesday night. He needed to get 40 of the 50 votes to earn his spot in Canton, Ohio, being on the ballot for the first time.
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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2016. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with Belichick while the two were with the New England Patriots, came to bat for his former head coach.
“To me, I don’t understand it,” he said Wednesday in an appearance on “Brock & Salk Mornings” in Seattle. “I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-pick Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should be a first-pick Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. It’s unbelievable. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I pick a coach to go out and win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’ll take Bill Belichick.
“So that’s enough. Outside of that, again, when it comes to votes and popularity and all that, welcome to the world of voting. You might as well try running for the Oscars or whatever and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. Unfortunately, that’s how it works.”
Brady said he was confident Belichick would eventually enter the Hall of Fame.
TRUMP WAKES UP PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME FOR ‘RIDICULOUS’ DECISION TO DISCONNECT BILL BELICHICK FROM FIRST VOTE HONOR
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and head coach Bill Belichick after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017. (Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s going into the Hall of Fame,” he continued. “In the end, I’m not worried about that. A lot of times in life, for all of us, things don’t happen exactly the way you want on your schedule, but we’ll all be there to celebrate it when it happens. It’s going to have a great turnout from so many players, coaches who appreciated everything he did and the commitment he made to win and the impact he had on all of our lives and it’s going to be a great celebration when it happens.”
It’s unclear who left him off the ballot.
The class of 2026 won’t be officially revealed until next week before Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group in the modern era players category along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Belichick was “bewildered” and “disappointed” with the decision and wondered what else he needed to do as a head coach to come in immediately, ESPN reported.
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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“Politics kept him out. He doesn’t think this is a reflection of his accomplishments,” another source told the outlet.
