On Tuesday, the NFL world received the shocking news that Bill Belichick, the greatest coach in NFL history, did not receive enough votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026. He received 40 of the 50 votes needed to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and if he couldn’t make it this first time around, how is any other coach supposed to?

There is absolutely no reason Belichick should not be headed to the Hall of Fame this year, and that’s coming from someone who despised the New England Patriots’ dynasty. What he did as a head coach was unprecedented, and rumors are swirling as to why he was left out.

The Backstory

Everyone knows about Spygate and Deflategate, the two cheating scandals that occurred during the Patriots’ six Super Bowl run in the 2000s. According to ESPN, the Hall of Fame voters discussed this topic when talking about Belichick’s Hall of Fame chances, and Bill Polian, a former Indianapolis Colts general manager and big-time Patriots rival in the early 2000s, suggested they make Belichick wait a year as punishment for those scandals.

Polian’s message seems to have worked. Belichick will not enter the Hall of Fame in 2026 and instead will have to wait until 2027. As you can imagine, social media was not very happy with this revelation, and they immediately began attacking Polian.

Just hours after the report came out that Polian essentially sabotaged Belichick, he came out and denied that he had anything to do with Belichick not making the Hall of Fame in 2026. He even went so far as to say he voted for him to make it.

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Shortly after he claimed he voted for Belichick, though, Polian did an interview with Worldwide Leader, where he said he couldn’t exactly remember if he voted for Belichick, but he was 95 percent sure he did.

We don’t know for certain whether or not Polian suggested Belichick should wait a year before making the Hall of Fame, but you have to imagine that Spygate and Deflategate are the sole reasons Belichick isn’t heading to Canton this summer.

Why It’s So Petty

The funniest thing about this whole story is just how petty it is. I know Polian has denied that he had anything to do with Belichick getting in, but ESPN doesn’t just put out false information. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

If Polian did indeed suggest Belichick shouldn’t get in to the Hall of Fame because of Spygate and Deflategate, it has to be one of the pettiest moves in NFL history. Denying the greatest coach of all time a Hall of Fame bid because he kept beating you year after year is already a candidate for the funniest and pettiest moment of the offseason.

Polian was the Colts’ GM from 1998 to 2009. He was there for the entire Payton Manning run, but the Colts were only able to win one Super Bowl during that span. Why was that? Largely because of New England.

In 2003, the Colts went 12-4, won the AFC South and were the 3-seed in the AFC. After routing Denver in the Wild Card and beating Kansas City in the Divisional, the Colts had to go to New England in the AFC Championship. They would lose 24-14 after Manning threw four interceptions.

The very next season, the Colts went 12-4 once again and won the AFC South for the second year running. The Colts would once again run through Denver in the Wild Card, but would take a trip to Foxborough in the Divisional Round. Manning would once again struggle, throwing one pick and no touchdowns while leading Indy to just three points.

The two would only meet one more time in the postseason, with the Colts coming out on top in the 2006 AFC Championship game en route to their first Super Bowl under Polian and Manning.

From 1998 to 2009, during Bill Polian’s tenure as GM, the Colts and Patriots played 18 times. The Colts went 7-11, but had a stretch from 1998 to 2005 where they won two of their 12 matchups against New England.

The funniest part of it all is that Polian wasn’t affected by Spygate or Deflategate. Spygate was in 2007, and the Colts actually beat the Patriots that year, and Deflategate came well after Polian was gone. He was just upset that Belichick got the best of him so many times that he had to lash out.

Robert Kraft Could Beat Belichick to Canton

Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, is eligible for the 2026 Hall of Fame class, and if he’s inducted, he will join Jerry Jones and Edward DeBartolo Jr. as the only living owners to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. But that’s not all. He would also beat both Belichick and Tom Brady to Canton.

Kraft and Belichick have a relationship. It’s not a very good one, but it certainly is a relationship. Despite all the winning they did together over the course of 24 years, their relationship has soured.

After Belichick departed from New England, he interviewed for the Falcons’ head coaching position. Kraft reportedly called Arthur Blank and advised him not to hire Belichick. Then there was The Dynasty documentary, which portrayed Belichick in a poor light while making Kraft out to be the hero. And by the way, Kraft was the one who produced it.

Tensions have been high between the two for years now, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Kraft was one of the guys fighting for Belichick to be excluded from the 2026 Hall of Fame class.

Bill Belichick’s Success

Bill Belichick is the most successful coach in NFL history, so if he can’t make it to the Hall of Fame in his first try, absolutely nobody can. He has the most Super Bowl wins of any coach in league history with six, which already makes him the greatest coach of all-time, but let’s dive a little bit deeper.

Belichick is 302-165 in his career. His 302 wins are the second-most of all-time, behind only Don Shula and George Halas, who both have 23+ more games than Belichick. His .647 win percentage is 12th among coaches with 100+ games, and third to Jim Harbaugh and Tony Dungy among coaches who coached in the 21st century.

Now let’s talk about the playoffs. His 44 playoff games are second to Andy Reid, and his 31 playoff wins are the most all-time (Reid is in second with 28). His .705 win percentage in the postseason ranks fifth among coaches with 10+ playoff games under their belt. He also holds the record for the most Conference Championship wins with nine.

It’s hard to refute that Belichick isn’t the greatest coach of all time. Shula could give him a run for his money, but I think building and maintaining a dynasty in the modern era of football is tougher than it was in the late 20th century.

Belichick should’ve been a first ballot Hall of Famer, but the voters let their feelings get in the way.