Author: alaskaadmin

Who’d have thought that Bill Belichick would steal the news cycle of a Super Bowl that he’s not even in — in a league that he no longer coaches in? Who’d have thought that Bill Polian, who hasn’t worked in an NFL front office since 2011, would end up getting almost as much attention? But that’s what has happened since ESPN reported that Belichick would not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the results are announced on the “NFL Honors” show on Feb. 5. The news was a major shock, given Belichick’s Super Bowl titles — six as a head coach, two more as an assistant — make for an impossible-to-deny case for the Hall. And yet, the Hall is making Belichick wait. ESPN’s initial report is the primary reason why Polian has taken on such a prominent role. Polian is a former Indianapolis Colts general manager and a current Hall of Fame voter. In that ESPN story, Polian was reported to have told voters Belichick should have to “wait a year” due to Spygate, the videotaping scandal back in 2007. Polian later denied saying that, but he told ESPN that he heard other voters “float the idea.” The backlash for Belichick’s impending rejection has been significant. And fair or not, Polian initially stood as a scapegoat for the committee. There are 50 voters, all members of the media in one way or another — including Polian, who works for SiriusXM (and is a Hall of Famer himself). Polian released a statement on Wednesday to clarify. “I voted for Coach Belichick in the Hall of Fame selection meeting,” Polian said on Sirius XM. “The Pro Football Hall of Fame has confirmed that fact through the auditors of the selection process. Again, I’ll state that I never said that I believed that Coach Belichick should ‘wait a year’ for enshrinement. This has been confirmed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, numerous selectors who were in the room and my vote for Coach Belichick. “As a Hall of Fame member and selector, I realize the import of what we do. I’ve always tried as a selector to make these difficult choices with the utmost objectivity. I’ve said on Sirius XM Radio and numerous other media outlets that I believe Coach Belichick to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. My vote confirms that.” The ESPN report wasn’t the only reason Polian became such a feasible scapegoat. It was also his history of contention with the Patriots. Throughout New England’s dynasty under Belichick and Tom Brady, there was one AFC team that wanted to take the Patriots down as much as anyone. It was the Colts. New England had plenty of other rivals, of course. The Ravens were often a threat in the playoffs. Belichick loved beating up on the Jets, whom he left at the altar to join the Patriots (resigning as New York’s coach to take the job in New England). But the Colts’ rivalry was something fierce. The first iteration of that rivalry had the Brady-Peyton Manning duel at its center. But Manning, coach Tony Dungy and GM Bill Polian were often on the losing side of things. From 1998 to 2011 (the Polian era), the Patriots were 11-6 in the regular season and 2-1 in the postseason against the Colts. The rivalry between New England and Indianapolis spilled off the field as well. In the mid-2000s, the Colts were one of the teams that suffered from Belichick’s Spygate scandal, with the Patriots’ illegally videotaping opponents’ signs, including Indy. Polian also engineered a rule change in 2004 that limited defensive back contact with receivers — dubbed the “Ty Law Rule,” in reference to the former New England cornerback. That rule adjustment traced directly back to a postseason game during which Law and the Patriots got extremely physical with the Colts’ receivers, particularly downfield. Polian apparently didn’t like that, so he played a big part in making the rule that led to stricter enforcement of contact past five yards downfield. It’s worth noting that Indy later turned in a football that sparked the Deflategate scandal — but Polian played zero role in that. It simply increased the rivalry and dislike between Belichick’s Patriots and the Colts. If Polian did in fact vote for Belichick, then hopefully this is the end of the former GM taking the brunt of the criticism in the Belichick-Hall snub saga. And perhaps the voters who snubbed Belichick will come out and explain why, like Vahe Gregorian did.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The overarching theme I could not ignore when asking some college football coaches and NFL scouts about Bill Belichick’s legacy in the NFL was clear: cheating. Not his six Super Bowls won as a head coach, not his coaching tree nor his decision to start a former sixth-round NFL Draft pick, Tom Brady, who became the greatest quarterback the sport has ever seen. Belichick’s cheating defines who he is to some in the NFL and college football. And that seems to be the message this year’s Hall of Fame voters wanted to impart, as Belichick fell short of receiving at least 40 votes of 50, or 80 percent, for Canton as a first-ballot inductee. Now, the former New England Patriots coach and current North Carolina coach will have to wait until at least 2027 to be voted in. “My personal opinion is I definitely feel like he’s a first-ballot guy,” former New York Giants scout and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Watts told me. “Regardless of all the negative stuff floating around on him, I feel like he’s earned it.” Fans and current and former athletes — including Sanders, Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James and Jimmy Johnson — were shocked by Belichick’s exclusion. Brady was mystified. And those I spoke to Wednesday echoed their sentiments. “‘That was insane’ was my first thought, given his resume,” a Big 12 position coach told me. “Then I saw the Bill Polian angle, punishing him, even if it’s just for one year, due to the cheating allegations. It’s more symbolic to make him wait, but he’s the greatest of all time.” “Not sure what to make of it,” a former NFL general manager told me. “It’s not good for the game. The Polian stuff is concerning, if true.” “How do you ignore getting caught cheating three times?” a former NFL scout during the Patriots’ Belichick era told me. “And twice for the same thing. For those who said the first ‘Spygate’ wasn’t a big deal, why did he keep doing it? That’s a big part of his legacy. … I also don’t believe Polian didn’t tell them he shouldn’t go in on the first ballot.” [HALL OF FAME: Bill Belichick’s Snub Result of Flawed Voting Process] Did deciding to pursue college football hurt his NFL legacy? Perhaps, but one college football staffer told me that shouldn’t be a factor. “That sounds crazy that that’s the narrative,” the Power 4 assistant player of personnel said. “How can one season of college affect him on the Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot? I think it’s all about cheating.” Maybe it is. Going 4-8 in his first season as head coach at North Carolina couldn’t have helped him. Months of tabloid headlines about Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, playing a not-so-quiet part in building the image of not just Belichick on Chapel Hill but also the Tar Heel football program surely didn’t help either. Still, if Belichick had finished the 2025 season at 16-0 with a national championship, fans would have crowned him as the best football coach — NFL or college — who has ever lived. We love a conqueror in football, and we enjoy watching winners. And that is who most people believe Belichick is in the NFL — except his peers with the power to vote. [BELICHICK SNUB: Hall of Fame Voter on Not Voting For Bill Belichick] This snubbing will not enhance his legacy in the NFL, but it will have no bearing on how he is remembered in college football. That part is still up to him. There’s still time for Belichick to show us in college football that he can coach with the best in our sport. There’s still time for him to enjoy the two-year turnaround Deion Sanders, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, enjoyed at Colorado — going from 3-9 to 9-4 with a Heisman Trophy winner in tow. Now, he knows what the league he gave 24 years of his head-coaching life to think of him. We’ll find out if he coaches differently, wins more or cares less what college football does of him, too.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Tom Brady championed Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame candidacy and was outspoken after learning of his former coach’s first-ballot snub.​FOX Sports Digital