There are repertoires so overwhelming they’re supposed to function as automatic doors. Bill Belichick is one of them. And yet, earlier this month, the Pro Football Hall of Fame told him to wait outside. He did not receive the 40 of 50 votes required for first-ballot induction, a decision that left everyone unsurprised but in disbelief. And Troy Aikman is the latest to voice his thoughts about it.
Troy Aikman on Hall-of-Fame Voting Process After Bill Belichick Omission
Behind the closed doors of the selection room, old wounds apparently reopened. Multiple voters told ESPN that discussions turned to Spygate and Deflategate, controversies that have stayed like footnotes written in permanent ink beneath the New England Patriots’ dynasty.
Soon enough, Bill Polian’s name entered the conversation. A respected Hall of Famer and longtime Patriots rival, Polian was initially painted as the unofficial ringleader of the resistance. Polian denied it. He said he never advocated delaying Belichick’s induction and insisted he believed the coach was worthy of first-ballot status.
What complicated matters was Polian’s admission that he was only “95% sure” he voted for Belichick. A few days later, Polian said the Hall confirmed through its auditors that he had voted for Belichick and reiterated his support in a prepared statement.
But for Troy Aikman, the damage had already been done.
On “The Musers” on Dallas radio, Aikman said, “If you can’t remember who you voted for, you shouldn’t be on the panel. I’m not trying to pick on Bill, maybe he had a senior moment. I have no idea. But at least 11 people did not vote for him.”
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Eleven voters, unseen and unnamed, chose silence while the most accomplished head coach in NFL history waited for validation that seemed preordained. To Aikman, that silence was corrosive.
“It’s a big black eye to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I think everyone now questions the process. I think it tarnishes everyone who is in the Hall of Fame,” Aikman said. “It defies logic, and I don’t care how they try to couch it or what they try to say about it; it makes no sense. The Hall of Fame’s credibility has been lost.
“I saw something yesterday that he maybe has withdrawn himself from future consideration,” Aikman said, while he didn’t verify if it was true. “But if it is, I can’t say that I blame him.”
If the coach does not withdraw, he most definitely will get in. That feels as inevitable as winter in Foxborough. And when he does, he will probably wear this snub the way he wears everything else, quietly and stubbornly.
