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Tom Brady was just as perplexed as the rest of the NFL world when it was learned that Bill Belichick wouldn’t be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
The Belichick 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 place 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 Jan. 16, 2016. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with Belichick while the two were on the New England Patriots, went 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-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I’m picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick.
“So that’s enough said. Outside of that, again, when it comes down to votes and popularity, and all that, like, welcome to the world of voting. He may as well go try out for the Oscars or whatever and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. It’s the way it works, unfortunately.”
Brady said he was confident that Belichick would get into the Hall of Fame eventually.
TRUMP RIPS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME FOR ‘RIDICULOUS’ DECISION TO SNUB BILL BELICHICK FROM FIRST-BALLOT 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 Jan. 22, 2017. (Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s gonna get 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 how you want them on your timeline but we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does happen. He’s gonna have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches that appreciated everything he did and the commitment he made to winning and the impact he had on all our lives and that’ll be a great celebration when it happens.”
It’s unclear who left him off the ballot.
The class of 2026 won’t officially be revealed until next week in the lead up to Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group from the modern-era players category along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” with the decision and that he wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to get in immediately, ESPN reported.
New England Patriots former 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 believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments,” another source told the outlet.
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