NFL World In State Of Chaos After Bill Belichick Reportedly Fails To Get Into Hall Of Fame

I don’t care how you feel about Bill, not having him in the Hall of Fame? … Football blasphemy!

Bill Belichick, the iconic former head coach of the New England Patriots, did not receive the required votes for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, according to a report Tuesday from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. In his first year of eligibility, Belichick fell short of the 40 votes needed out of 50 from the selection committee.

Bill Belichick, the 8-time Super Bowl-winning HC, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, per @SethWickersham and @DVNJr. Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.https://t.co/ooJutI0C0Q

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026

Widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of the National Football League, Belichick’s resume is stacked with accolades that support the claim. He has eight Super Bowl championships and holds 333 career victories, placing him second on the all-time list trailing only Hall of Famer Don Shula.

As one of the central figures in New England’s dominant dynasty, Belichick’s exclusion came as a genuine shock to many. The news has triggered a swift and overwhelmingly negative reaction across the NFL landscape. (RELATED: Broncos Fan Laid Out Like Blanket By Patriots Supporter In Post-Game Mile High Brawl)

Just check out this fury from the NFL community:

I can’t be reading this right.

This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.

There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer. https://t.co/OXhL1Sd4FM

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 27, 2026

Text from an NFL executive: “The 10+ people that didn’t vote for BB should be exposed. WTF. This is crazy.” https://t.co/aJDBvaNSGF

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick not a 1st Ballot HOFer & Shedeur Sanders is a Pro Bowler

What alternate reality are we living in? pic.twitter.com/0iqOqBVl7v

— Birdman (@halfbirdhalfman) January 27, 2026

This is going to sound like a hot take for social media. I apologize for that in advance. But, it’s just correct.

If you voted against Bill Belichick getting into the Hall of Fame, you should lose your vote. You should never get another one. You don’t belong. There are capable…

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) January 27, 2026

The NFL Hall of Fame voting on Bill Belichick pic.twitter.com/xYInt34uLM

— Ben Houselog (@benlikessport) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick is officially not a first ballot Pro Football Hall Of Famer

Bill Belichick..

Bill Belichick could be in 🐐 conversations for Coach AND GM and he isn’t a first ballot Hall Of Famer in the PRO FOOTBALL Hall Of Fame https://t.co/B82i0PTbMD pic.twitter.com/LIg7DoFrFT

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 27, 2026

No matter how you feel about Bill Belichick, he EARNED being a 1st Ballot NFL Hall of Famer.

8-Time Super Bowl Champ.

Greatest NFL Coach of All Time.

For him not to be is RIDICULOUSLY STUPID.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 27, 2026

This harms the Hall of Fame’s reputation more than Bill Belichick’s. https://t.co/om4jeSwEVD

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) January 27, 2026

Seriously?!

By every metric, Bill Belichick is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The fact that he wasn’t selected is more of a reflection of the voters than the coach. How can you respect the opinions of the “experts” when they blatantly disrespect legendary coach’s on-field… https://t.co/bZiqORYrkw

— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of Famer means that no coach should ever be. It means that the voters have decided there isn’t a coaching resume that warrants First Ballot consideration!

He is the GREATEST, most ACCOMPLISHED coach of all time! This is egregious!

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 27, 2026

Sometimes I scratch my head when a candidate gets in the HOF, this time I’m scratching my head on how an HOF candidate didn get in… https://t.co/KKqDlDvtXz

— Cam Jordan (@camjordan94) January 27, 2026

The voters have to not remain anonymous anymore. We need an explanation for why Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches ever of any level of any sport with 8 SB’s is not a first ballot HOF’er……… No explanation will be valid but I need to know. I’m sorry man!! This insane!

— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) January 27, 2026

This is absolutely ABSURD – For the @NFL Hall of Fame
it is so unfair that BILL BELICHICK winner of 6 SUPER BOWLS is not a 1st ballot Hall of Fame selection . @patriots ⁦@TomBrady⁩ ⁦⁦@michaelstrahan⁩ ⁦@ESPNPR⁩ via @ESPN App https://t.co/rHvLfN1qi1

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) January 27, 2026

A disappointing day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) January 28, 2026

Man there’s no way I read that right! Right? Ain’t no WAY Bill Belichick ain’t 1st Ballot HOF!! That’s IMPOSSIBLE, EGREGIOUS, and quite frankly DISRESPECTFUL!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 28, 2026

I think under these circumstances, if the Hall of Fame were to decide to disclose who voted for whom, it would be welcomed by most on our committee. Those who voted for Belichick — as many as 39 — are being tarnished by those who didn’t.

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 28, 2026

Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible https://t.co/EiKUeRPffn

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick (head coach ranks per @pfref)…

🔹6 Super Bowls (1st)
🔹9 conference championships (1st)
🔹31 playoff wins (1st)
🔹302 regular season wins (3rd)
🔹333 total wins (2nd)

This is not even including his 2 Super Bowls as #NYGiants DC. #NEPats https://t.co/q0tUdifpiw

— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) January 27, 2026

As a @ProFootballHOF voter, I believe in full transparency: I voted for Bill Belichick and I am embarrassed for our 50-member committee that the greatest coach in NFL history is not a first ballot HOFer and some voters apparently felt he deserved to be punished for Spygate.

— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) January 28, 2026

A text from someone close to Bill Belichick: “No man cares more about the history of football than Bill. Today is a sad day for the league he loves.” https://t.co/mKg4wqRusD

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick won more Super Bowls *after* Spygate than all but 4 coaches in league history lol

nonsense that makes the league look silly https://t.co/zvlxL7MwnJ

— Dave Helman (@davehelman_) January 27, 2026

There is no justification for voting against Bill Belichick in the Hall of Fame. It makes the entire process feel like a farce. He’s on a short list of most accomplished people in the history of the sport.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 28, 2026

“It doesn’t really make sense.”@DHx34 reacts to Bill Belichick not being voted in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/Bv89xmSqfF

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 27, 2026

It’s really become stupid in the sports world huh? We really have gone “there” now. I hope this is some dumb “AI joke” that Bill Belichick is not a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee, because if he isn’t, there is a competency issue among those who vote. That’s f’ing…

— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) January 27, 2026

I need someone to explain to me what a first ballot hall of fame coach looks like if it’s not Bill! https://t.co/OVA2Ksmish

— Jason McCourty (@JasonMcCourty) January 27, 2026

Belichick was the best NFL coach ever yesterday and that’s still true today and tomorrow.

The truth is — sports Hall of Fames don’t matter nearly as much anymore because we’ve screwed all of them up.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 28, 2026

That’s a disgrace for whatever committee that decided this! https://t.co/g8B6nVgilI

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) January 27, 2026

The Disrespect to Coach Belichick is straight out IGNORANT! He’s arguably the BEST NFL COACH TO EVER COACH THE GAME! How quickly we forget the impact Coach Belichick made on all of us! @nfl WOW! #CoachPrime

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 28, 2026

OUTRAGEOUS!🤦🏿‍♂️ https://t.co/UEKFKQLAN3

— James White (@SweetFeet_White) January 27, 2026

Wild part of the Belichick / Hall of Fame news is how much reverance and respect he has (had?) for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, itself. He’s spoken about going to Canton on visits with his father when he got the Cleveland job. There’s perhaps no greater student of NFL History.

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 27, 2026

As a member of the board of selectors for the @ProFootballHOF, I can’t believe Bill Belichick was not a first-ballot inductee. He had my vote and will again next year, assuming we both are still in the process.

— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) January 28, 2026

This is just WRONG ..#2 winning ALL TIME…more Super Bowls than anyone unimaginable # of division championships…lot of small jealous voters https://t.co/Q4H5Qnz2L2

— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick won 100 games (including postseason) and took the Patriots to three Super Bowls (winning two) after punishment for “Deflategate”.

His post-scandal resume alone merits a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 28, 2026

Bill Belichick not being a first-ballot Hall of Famer is the most outrageous robbery in NFL history!!!

— AqibTalib21 (@AqibTalib21) January 28, 2026

Why are they treating Bill Belichick like Pete Rose?

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) January 28, 2026

The idea that Coach Belichick is not a first ballot Hall of Famer is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/GpONSJ93Yv

— Jedd Fisch (@CoachJeddFisch) January 28, 2026

I’m a HOF voter who saw Belichick as slam-dunk. I don’t know anything about voting results, but if this is true, and we’ll find out officially next week, the question is, how could this happen?

Before I list possibilities, understand this:

Belichick, Kraft, Craig, Anderson &… https://t.co/V8okBDsReH

— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) January 27, 2026

Sad day in sports, man. This is just completely unacceptable.