Patriots cheating scandals at heart of Belichick Hall of Fame snub that has rocked NFL
Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, but was also caught up in the 2007 Spygate scandal
Former NFL coach Bill Belichick has reportedly failed to win immediate entry into the Hall of Fame, reports said on Tuesday, a stunning snub that has triggered uproar throughout American football.
Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots during the Tom Brady era and two more as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, failed to secure the required 40 of 50 votes to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee.
The 73-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL, but his career was also tinged with controversy, notably the 2007 “Spygate” scandal, when he was fined a record US$500,000 after the Patriots were caught illegally filming signals by opposing coaches during games.
Belichick’s team were also caught in the “Deflategate” scandal in 2015, when quarterback Brady was eventually suspended for ordering the deliberate deflation of game balls to make them easier to manipulate.
ESPN reported that the two scandals had come up during deliberations among voters at a meeting on January 13.
“It really bothered some of the guys,” one was quoted by the network as saying.