For Michael Lombardi, Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub wasn’t just a surprise vote; it was a ‘complete injustice’ that proved the entire system is broken, and he’s refusing to stay silent about it. With multiple reactions coming from the sports fraternity, Lombardi’s passionate comment certainly offers food for thought.

“In my book Football Done Right I strongly urged and established a criteria for head coaches to qualify for the HOF,” wrote the general manager on X, appearing to give up but coming to Belichick’s defense. “This would remove politics from the vote and would avoid the complete injustice that occurred today. When I wrote the book I said the whole system was flawed today’s news confirms that belief.”

Former NFL general manager and three-time Super Bowl winner Lombardi wrote a book titled Football Done Right: Setting the Record Straight on the Coaches, Players, and History of the NFL. The book was initially published on September 5, 2023, and two years later, it has gained relevance amid the Belichick snub. 

According to ESPN reports from four sources, during the voting earlier this month, Belichick came up just short of the 40 votes needed out of 50 for first-ballot induction. Belichick received the news in a phone call on the afternoon of Friday, January 23, that the Canton induction ceremony would not include him.

“Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” the North Carolina head coach asked an associate. 

“What does a guy have to do?” Belichick asked another associate, taken aback.

With 333 wins in the NFL, including the playoffs, just shy of Don Shula’s 347, Belichick was widely seen as a first-ballot lock. But the committee, a mix of NFL veteran reporters and gridiron legends like Bill Polian and Tony Dungy, ultimately holds the keys to Canton.

In his book, Lombardi laid out a blueprint to shake up Hall of Fame voting. The now North Carolina general manager penned the rules that could finally get stalwarts like Tom Coughlin, Dan Reeves, and Marty Schottenheimer their rightful spot in Canton.

In December 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ former head coach, Coughlin, didn’t make the cut, and Mike Holmgren, who previously led the Green Bay Packers, was nominated instead.

The snub is even more shocking under the HOF’s new voting system, where candidates need 80% of the vote from the 50-person committee, a high bar Belichick just missed.

Now that Belichick is left on the outside looking in, how is the college football world dealing with the news?

Reactions pour in to support Bill Belichick

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders is rarely shy of sharing his takes on social media. 

“The Disrespect to Coach Belichick is straight out IGNORANT!” wrote Deion on X. “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.”

The 73-year-old holds the head coaching record with six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots. This snub did not sit well with legends beyond college football. For instance, this news also caught NBA superstar LeBron James off guard.

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

Although Belichick can still be inducted into a future class, he might be on thin ice in Chapel Hill. The North Carolina head coach might have survived the latest coaching carousel, but the Tar Heels face a gauntlet in the 2026 season of 10 bowl-eligible teams. This might lead to Belichick losing his head coaching job.