It was undeniably shocking. Bill Belichick, the architect of six Super Bowl titles as the New England Patriots’ head coach and two more as a defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, failed to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham were the first to report the news. And while the decision sparked immediate criticism across the league, many were waiting to hear from the player most closely tied to Belichick’s legacy: Tom Brady.

Now, Brady has spoken. And he didn’t hide his frustration.

“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “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, and he’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d ever want to play for. If I’m taking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick.”

The debate around Belichick’s snub isn’t hard to grasp when you lay out the résumé. The 73-year-old, now leading North Carolina’s football program, has eight Super Bowl rings and remains the only head coach in NFL history with six. He owns 333 career wins, including the postseason. He’s second only to former Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins Don Shula’s 347. Shula, notably, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Yet Belichick came up short in his first attempt and will now have to wait at least another year. According to reports, he was informed Friday afternoon by a Hall representative that he would not be enshrined in Canton this summer. For Brady, that decision is difficult to reconcile.

From 2001 to 2019, Brady played under Belichick. And together they posted a staggering 249–75 record in the regular season and playoffs and a .769 winning percentage. Strip Brady out of the equation and include Belichick’s time in Cleveland and the post-Brady Patriots era, and the record drops to 83–104, a .449 mark. That contrast is often cited by critics. But for Brady, it only reinforces his belief that Belichick remains the ultimate difference-maker.

That’s why Brady went beyond just defending his former coach. He made it clear that, even now, if given one more season and one shot at a title, he’d still choose Belichick. No hesitation. And in doing so, he didn’t just voice his disappointment over the Hall of Fame snub. He also made his feelings about the voters’ decision unmistakably clear.

Tom Brady took a dig on voting panel after Bill Belichick’s HOF snub

For enshrinement, Bill Belichick wasn’t voted on in isolation. He was grouped with one contributor finalist, which is Robert Kraft, and three senior finalists: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood. To earn Hall of Fame induction, Belichick needed at least 40 votes from the 50-member panel. From that group of five, each selector was allowed to vote for only three candidates. Belichick, ultimately, didn’t make the cut. And as that played out, Tom Brady didn’t hold back in addressing the voting process.

“When it comes down to votes and popularity and all that, then welcome to the world of voting, and you 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,” the former Patriots’ quarterback said.

Multiple reports suggest Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub stemmed from several factors. And his involvement in the “Spygate” and “Deflategate” scandals sits near the top of the list. In 2007, Belichick was the face of the Spygate scandal, which resulted in the Patriots losing a first-round pick and being fined $500,000, while Belichick himself was fined $250,000. He was also in charge when New England was implicated in the Deflategate controversy in 2015.

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Still, amid all the debate, Brady remains convinced that the outcome is only temporary. Even though Belichick fell short in his first year of eligibility, Brady believes his place in Canton is inevitable. For now, Belichick will have to wait at least one more year before securing his Hall of Fame enshrinement.