Bill Belichick will have to wait at least another year for football immortality, amid suggestions that the more controversial side of his illustrious coaching career cost him first ballot election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr, the six-time Super Bowl–winning head coach was not elected on his first ballot after falling short of the 40 votes required from the 50-member selection committee for the Class of 2026.

While Belichick, when informed of the decision last Friday, was described as ‘puzzled’ and ‘disappointed’ by the outcome, the reported snub prompted swift and widespread backlash across the NFL landscape, forcing a response from the Hall itself. Without naming Belichick directly, the Hall addressed the controversy in a statement released via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, insisting that any impropriety in the voting procedure would be investigated.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame understands and respects the passionate reaction of many fans, media members and enshrinees of the Hall itself in light of published reports regarding the voting results for the Class of 2026,” the statement read. “If it is determined that any member(s) violated the selection process bylaws, they understand action will be taken.”

ESPN reported that Belichick’s candidacy was affected by deliberations surrounding the Spygate and Deflategate controversies that dogged his time with the New England Patriots, with one veteran Hall voter allegedly claiming that ‘The only explanation [for the outcome] was the cheating stuff — it really bothered some of the guys.” While considering football-related controversies when determining eligibility does not violate Hall bylaws, basing a vote on personal characteristics and non-football matters does. Should any voter be deemed to have acted incorrectly, the HoF statement claims that the possibility exists that ‘such selector(s) would not remain a member of the committee moving forward’.

Reporting around the alleged snub also noted that Hall voter Bill Polian suggested that Belichick should ‘wait a year’ as a form of penance for the two major scandals. The former Bills, Panthers and Colts GM, when asked by Sports Illustrated, denied not personally voting for Belichick, and later claimed elsewhere that he was ‘95 percent sure’ he had voted for him.

Reaction from around the league — and beyond — was swift and unforgiving. “There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer,” wrote Houston Texans legend J.J. Watt, while player-turned-analyst Ryan Clark called the decision ‘egregious’, and current Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes simply wrote, “Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible”. LeBron James, Pat McAfee and Terrell Owens were also among those outraged by the selection committee’s decision.

Belichick, now 73 and enduring a baptism of college football fire at the head of the North Carolina Tar Heels, coached the Patriots from 2000-23, compiling a combined regular season and playoff record of 333–178, winning 17 division titles, nine conference championships and six Super Bowls as a head coach, plus two more as a defensive coordinator during his time with the New York Giants. For many, that résumé alone made the news of his snub unfathomable.

The Hall of Fame selection committee consists of one media representative from each NFL city (and two from both New York and Los Angeles to reflect the duplication of teams there), as well as 17 ‘at large’ selectors who are either active members of the media or directly involved with pro football, including a representative of the Pro Football Writers’ of America.