1 of 5 | Bill Belichick won a record six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots. File Photo by Amanda Sabga/UPI | License Photo
The SpyGate and DeflateGate scandals factored in to former NFL coach Bill Belichick’s snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.
Sources told ESPN, USA Today and OutKick.com that the cheating scandals played in role in voters’ thinking en route to his first-ballot denial. Sources told ESPN, The Athletic and CBS Sports on Tuesday that Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 required votes to be inducted in his first year of eligibility.
The leak came more than a week before results from Hall of Fame voting will be announced.
Belichick, now the head coach at North Carolina, logged a 302-165 regular-season record in 29 years as an NFL coach, including a 266-121 mark over 24 seasons with the New England Patriots. He went 31-13 in the postseason, with six Super Bowls as a head coach and two more during his tenure as a defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
His six Super Bowl titles and 31 postseason wins are more than any other head coach. His 333 total wins are the second-most in history, trailing only Don Shula (347). Shula is also the NFL’s leader in regular-season victories, with 328, ahead of George Halas (318) and Belichick (302).
Belichick and the Patriots were each fined in 2007 for violating NFL rules when they filmed opponents’ signals — dubbed “SpyGate” — from the sidelines. The Patriots — and former quarterback Tom Brady — also were penalized for under-inflation of footballs — “DeflateGate” — in 2015.
Hall of Fame voter Armando Salguero, who said he presented Belichick in the coach sub-committee and full committee selector meetings said he was “stunned” and disagreed deeply with the at least 11 selectors who didn’t vote for Belichick.
Salguero also wrote at OutKick.com that “SpyGate was the reason several selectors could not bring themselves to vote for Belichick, because they felt it sullied his records.”
Hall of Fame voters also confirmed to USA Today Sports and ESPN that the scandals played a role in Belichick’s omission and “really bothered” some voters.
The original report of the leak came from ESPN, who cited Belichick as “puzzled” and disappointed” by the snub.
“Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” Belichick asked an associate, according to ESPN.
A spokesman from the Pro Football Hall of Fame said the organization does not comment on voting and will await the official unveiling of the 2026 class. The class will be announced Feb. 5 at NFL Honors in San Francisco.
News of Belichick’s snub quickly reached the sports world, resulting in stunned reactions on social media from LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt, Deion Sanders, Jimmy Johnson and others.
“I can’t be reading this right,” Watt wrote on X. “This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something. It can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame. There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.”
“Ridiculous,” wrote former Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan, who played for Belichick. “Couldn’t have a better resume!”
“This is just wrong,” Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson wrote on X. “No. 2 winning all-time…more Super Bowls than anyone, unimaginable number of division championships…lot of small jealous voters.”
“Man there’s no way I read that right,” LeBron James wrote on X. “Right? Ain’t no way Bill Belichick ain’t first-ballot HOF! That’s impossible, egregious, and quite frankly disrespectful!”
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced in December that Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Belichick, Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood were finalists in the contributor, coach and senior categories for the 2026 class.
Those finalists will compete against each other for selection, with selection committee members allowed to vote for three of the five finalists. If none of the five receive 80% approval, the individual with the most support will be elected.
The modern-era player finalists for the class include: Willie Anderson, Drew Brees, Jahri Evans, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri, Reggie Wayne, Kevin Williams, Jason Witten, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.
The selection committee can elect up to five modern-era players for induction.
Voter ballots and totals are not named public. The NFL Honors, which includes revelations of regular-season awards and Hall of Fame inductees, will air at 9 p.m. EST Feb. 5 on NBC and NFL Network. The annual event will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Belichick remains eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot in 2027.
UPI Pictures of the Year 2025: Winning moments in Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (C) celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7 to win the World Series in Toronto on November 1, 2025. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
