The news of former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick falling short of Canton has shaken the football world. It simply doesn’t make sense that the sport’s greatest coach won’t be enshrined immediately, and the immediate reaction has been one of disdain for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as an institution.
This is a stain on Canton, and nobody is pulling their punches.
Stephen A. Smith Reacts to Bill Belichick’s Snub
Social media has reacted accordingly to Belichick’s bad news, narrowing down voters to find the double-digit “no” votes and calling for wide-scale changes to the Hall of Fame’s process.
There are three lines of thinking regarding the committee’s process. Fans and analysts have cited personal gripes against Belichick, who wasn’t a champion of the people as frequently as he hung banners in New England. Others feel that candidates at risk of falling off the ballot needed votes more than Belichick, weighing the injustice of someone never being inducted over the outrage of the greatest coach ever having to wait.
Of course, Belichick is also tied to the cheating scandals that tainted the sanctity of the Patriots’ dynasty. Even so, there’s little rationale for keeping Belichick out. A polarizing decision would split fans’ opinions. This was controversial; its nonsensical nature has united the New England faithful and haters alike.
That includes Stephen A. Smith, who took to “First Take” to rip into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“[The Pro Football Hall of Fame] needs to be humbled. They need to be checked.”@stephenasmith shares his thoughts on Bill Belichick not being a 1st-ballot Hall of Famer ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Ql8Q9o5ueQ
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 29, 2026
“They need to be humbled,” Smith said. “They need to be checked. This is egregious, and it’s a violation of what this is supposed to be about. My point is if you’re doing something that flagrantly against what you’re supposed to be doing, personal feelings, personal animus, frustrations against this guy.”
“To get to ignore an eight-time champion as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. To me, the Hall of Fame doesn’t even need to exist if you can do something like that.”
Belichick’s resume is unmatched. He’s won eight Super Bowls, including six as the lead man in New England. Quarterback Tom Brady headlined two decades of Patriots offenses, but his defenses carried their weight, too. By PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Metric, Belichick posted eight top-five defenses during his time in New England.
Despite the Coach of the Year award favoring up-and-coming coaches on surprising teams, Belichick still won it three times (2003, 2007, 2010).
Again, the resume is unimpeachable. Even taking away the championships tainted by controversy leaves him in as a shoo-in for Canton. Instead, he’ll have to wait.
“I’m mindful and cognizant of what “Prime Time” Deion Sanders said years ago … when he alluded to there’s a bit too many people getting into the Hall of Fame,” Smith continued. “This is supposed to be a privileged institution. Some people don’t deserve to be in here. … No one would ever say that about Bill Belichick.
“We know that eventually he is going in. But to hell with ‘eventually,’ an eight-time champion shouldn’t have the word ‘eventually’ associated with his name when it comes to recognition as a Hall of Famer. That is egregious.”
Smith is aligned with the consensus. The vast majority of fans are outraged at the committee, and calls for an updated process are louder than ever. While Belichick is a victim of a broken system, his misfortune is a symptom of bigger issues in Canton.
