When Bill Belichick’s name was considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, everyone assumed it was a lock. There can’t be an easier decision than putting a six-time Super Bowl winner into the HoF. But the former New England head coach was snubbed.
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Moreover, that was followed by the NFL teams’ decision not to hire Belichick for two consecutive hiring cycles. His name popped up when Atlanta was looking for a head coach, but nothing materialized. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith explained why Belichick doesn’t have an NFL job right now.
“Bill Belichick is a six-time champion as a head coach and an eight-time champion of the National Football League overall,” Stephen A. said on ESPN’s show First Take on August 31 as he took Belichick’s stand.
“This is the elite coach of our generation. And we all know that he doesn’t have a job in the National Football League because you’ve got a bunch of young whipper snappers in today’s generation who are at the helm, and they’ll be damned if they’re going to bring in somebody who’s forgotten more football than they’ll ever know. So, because of that, that’s the only reason he doesn’t have a job in the National Football League.”
After Belichick left the New England Patriots in January 2024, he waited out his mandatory one-year eligibility window. Belichick officially became eligible for induction. However, early voting leaks revealed he failed to secure the required 40 of 50 committee votes to be a first-ballot inductee.
However, for a coach who has spent decades in the NFL, the ultimate disrespect came from being snubbed by multiple NFL teams. Some insiders even reported that NFL front officers were wary of Belichick’s rigid approach.
When Belichick became UNC’s head coach, everyone expected a quick turnaround at the Tar Heels. The greatest coach in the pros was entering an uncharted territory. However, his first year didn’t go as expected. UNC finished with a disappointing 4-8 campaign. But that was also down to a lack of time in getting the players together.
Ahead of UNC’s 2026 season opener, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said that Belichick’s career in college “is about to go down in flames.” He said the Tar Heels won’t win their matchup against TCU in Ireland. But he didn’t stop there. Finebaum predicted that Belichick won’t survive until the end of the season. Now that UNC has defeated TCU 15-10, Stephen A. Smith didn’t forget to remind Finebaum of what he was saying last week.
“Which brings me to Paul Finebaum. You talk about wrong, being wrong, whatever. Paul, that’s not the problem with your commentary. It’s not that you were wrong. It is that you were cruel. I mean, to sit up there and to say with a straight face on national television, you’re not rooting for the guy,” Smith said.
“I mean, damn, Paul. Really, why wouldn’t you root for somebody who’s universally recognized as arguably the greatest coach to have ever lived? I understand he could be a bit truculent sometimes, a bit abrasive when it comes to dealing with the media. I have to say he’s always nice to me,” he added.
At the moment, Belichick has left a lot of naysayers with plenty to answer for. No one expected UNC to win against TCU. But the Tar Heels’ defense, called by the head coach, delivered a masterclass. As a result, the noise around the program has died down. But it’ll only take a few losses for the critics to have their ‘I told you so’ moments again.