Voter Explains Decision to Omit Belichick from Hall of Fame Ballot

One of the voters who didn’t select Bill Belichick for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot has shared his reasoning. Virhe Gregorian, writing for the Kansas City Star, explained that he was among at least 11 voters who chose not to support Belichick, a development that took many in the football community by surprise when it was announced on Tuesday.

While Belichick has been connected to past controversies involving the New England Patriots—like Spygate and Deflategate—Gregorian emphasized that this wasn’t his reason for omitting the coach’s name from his ballot.

He mentioned that the “weird selection dynamics” within the Hall influenced his vote. To clarify, Belichick was one of the five selected from a group outside of the 15 contemporary candidates, where each voter can pick only three members to enter the Hall. This group consisted of three senior candidates, a contributor, and a coach.

Interestingly, while Belichick was the coach on this year’s ballot, Patriots owner Robert Kraft served as the donor nominee. Gregorian ultimately voted for senior candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and LC Greenwood, explaining he felt it was his “obligation” to support them, believing this might be their last opportunity for induction. He noted that all three have been overlooked for far too long.

In his view, he believed Belichick would eventually be inducted. After seeing Belichick fall short of the required 80% of votes in the first round, he realized the intense backlash that followed his decision. Gregorian commented that he can understand public frustration over Belichick’s omission.

“I perceived this as a last chance and a lost cause within the current system,” he wrote, advocating for changes to the voting process. Kraft, for his part, labeled Belichick “the greatest coach of all time,” while Tom Brady expressed confusion over why his former coach won’t be honored in Canton, Ohio, this summer. Many others, including Patrick Mahomes and J.J. Watt, also voiced their disbelief regarding the situation.

Belichick currently has the second-most wins of any head coach in NFL history, trailing only Don Shula. He has clinched six Super Bowl wins with the Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

While Gregorian faced backlash for his vote, it’s uncertain if other voters who also didn’t support Belichick will come forward to share their thoughts.