Why Bill Belichick's Hall of Fame Snub is The Best Thing That Could Have Happened to Him

Bill Belichick's exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame has caused considerable consternation.

Tom Brady, who shard 6 Super Bowl rings with Belichick, was flabbergasted:

I don't understand it .... 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.

Former Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski said, "There had to be some voters that have some ill will against Coach Bill Belichick, for whatever reason” 

Former Pats wide receiver Julian Edelman simply wrote, "smh". 

In the grand scheme of things, this is the best thing that could have happened to Belichick.

I say this because Belichick has been getting a litany of bad press for the past 18 months much of it centered around his relationship with Jordon Hudson, a woman nearly 50 years his junior and her influence over him particularly as it concerns his thus far disastrous tenure as head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. There's little doubt that his association with her contributed to his snub.

By snubbing him in this manner, Belichick is now viewed in a sympathetic light. Belichick's liaisons do not erase his 8 Super Bowl rings (6 with the Pats as a head coach and 2 with the New York Giants as an assistant coach). Belichick accumulated 333 career wins in the regular season and the playoffs. Only Don Shula of Miami Dolphins fame won more than Belichick with 347.

In fairness, I don't begrudge writers like Vahe Gregorian of The Kansas City Star for not voting for Belichick in the desire to see the likes of L.C. Greenwood, Ken Anderson and Roger Craig finally get enshrined in Canton.

But make no mistake. This snub was a "fuck you" to Belichick. But now its blown back on voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and put them on the defensive forcing them to issue a statement indicating it would investigate any voter who violated "selection process bylaws" which would include not voting for someone for reasons unrelated to football. But given the selection process is confidential, this is not likely to happen.

What is likely to happen is that the sports media will start to root for Belichick as an underdog story at North Carolina. If Belichick can rebound at North Carolina and get into a Bowl game, it will result in a feel-good story and give Belichick's candidacy for Canton momentum for the Class of 2027.

But what if Belichick doesn't rebound at North Carolina? That still doesn't take away his NFL achievements. Given the scrutiny heaped on Pro Football Hall of Fame voters and the selection process, they can ill-afford to snub Belichick next year without compromising the credibility of both sports' journalism and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.