Tony Dungy has been consistent with his stance: he does not want to discuss whether he voted for his former rival, Bill Belichick, to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He declined to address it last Tuesday ahead of the Hall of Fame announcement. He declined again during NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show. And as that played out publicly, ESPN’s Michael Kay openly criticized Dungy for refusing to engage on Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub.

“Tony Dungy, who’s getting paid by NBC, was asked on the never-ending pregame show whether or not he voted for Bill Belichick,” Kay said after the Super Bowl. “He said he’s not going to discuss it. First of all, if I’m NBC, I fire him on the spot. We’re paying you whatever amount of money we’re paying you; you’re discussing it. What’s your value to us if you’re making news and you’re not discussing it with us?”

Dungy, a Hall of Fame head coach himself and a former Indianapolis Colts leader, was one of the 50 voters this year. The ballot included names such as Belichick, Robert Kraft, Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood. Belichick, meanwhile, needed at least 40 of the 50 votes to earn first-ballot induction, with voters expected to select three Hall of Famers.

That threshold, however, wasn’t met.

Belichick failed to appear on 40 ballots, and the decision immediately drew heavy scrutiny. The reaction was understandable. After all, Belichick won eight Super Bowls, two as a coordinator and six as the head coach of the New England Patriots. For many, the logic seemed simple: if anyone deserved first-ballot status, it was him. Yet, here we are.

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When asked directly whether he voted for Belichick, Dungy chose not to engage. Speaking during the pregame show, he explained his reasoning:

“I’m not going to disclose it. When you come on the committee, you take an oath that you’re not going to discuss any of the debates, anything that happened there. I’m not going to put any of my teammates under the bus who they voted for, who I voted for.”

Technically, the Hall of Fame bylaws don’t prohibit voters from revealing their votes. There’s also no requirement to disclose them. And to Dungy’s credit, he’s well within his rights to keep his vote private. Still, that choice comes with consequences. By refusing to answer, Dungy all but invited speculation, most notably the assumption that he didn’t vote for Belichick.

Whether that’s true remains unknown. What is clear, though, is that his silence hasn’t landed well with everyone. Kay was vocal about it. So was Patriots legend Rodney Harrison.

Rodney Harrison calls out Tony Dungy over Bill Belichick’s HOF snub

Rodney Harrison knows Bill Belichick as well as anyone. The Patriots legend won multiple Super Bowls under him, anchoring a defense that defined New England’s dynasty years. So when Belichick was surprisingly left out as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Harrison didn’t hesitate to voice his frustration, especially toward Tony Dungy, one of the 50 voters.

“Any list that doesn’t include Bill Belichick at the top is absolutely wrong,” Harrison said. “…I’ve seen him design defenses to stop your offense. You just look at the players that he’s impacted, he’s been unbelievable. When I look throughout the Hall of Fame and even a guy like Tom Brady. Tom Brady wouldn’t be Tom Brady without Bill Belichick. That’s the disappointing part of it, Coach. You guys got it wrong.”

And Harrison isn’t standing alone here. Support for Belichick has been loud and nearly unanimous among former Patriots players. From Randy Moss to Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski, the message has been consistent: This snub doesn’t make any sense. But this conversation isn’t ending anytime soon. If anything, it’s only getting warmed up. With Brady expected to be Hall of Fame-eligible in a few years, the Belichick debate is likely to resurface in an even louder way.