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Bill Belichick must be angry over his reported snub by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But here’s the silver lining. The 73-year-old Patriots legend is getting some of the most glowing press of his long career.
Who’d have thunk it? But the Hall’s farcical decision to deny the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach first ballot status is turning The Hoodie—yes the intimidating Hoodie—into a sympathetic figure.
From Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes to Cowboys legend Jimmy Johnson, the NFL establishment is rallying around the once-hated coach. The petty front office types and columnists who wanted to settle old scores by humiliating Belichick ended up embarrassing themselves—as well as colleagues on the 50-person selection committee. As reported by Front Office Sports, the Belichick disaster has put the Hall’s entire voting process under scrutiny.
Nobody likes sore losers or rat finks who work in the shadows. The charge that old foes like ex-Colts GM Bill Polian, aided by some resentful sportswriters, used their secret ballots to take revenge on Belichick for his decades of success in New England is lighting up social media.
Since ESPN broke the news Tuesday, the 11 Hall of Fame voters who secretly voted thumbs down have been hiding under their beds. When this mess is all over, Belichick might even restore some needed luster to his seriously damaged brand.
“Belichick has been perceived in some unsympathetic ways over the past couple of years; that has certainly changed in the past 24 hours,” ex-Packers executive turned consultant Andrew Brandt tells Front Office Sports. “It was one thing to not be seriously considered in not one, but two NFL head coach hiring cycles, but this seems over the top. I’m not sure what’s behind the voters not supporting him, but the broad sentiment is clearly against them and for Bill. And, at least for the moment, he is the most sympathetic character in American sports.”
What a change in fortunes for Belichick. Ever since Patriots owner Robert Kraft dumped him after a legendary 24-season run in January 2024, it’s been mostly downhill for arguably the greatest coach in NFL history.
Despite his eight Super Bowl rings (six as head coach of the Pats, two as defensive coordinator of the Giants), Belichick couldn’t get a job offer from the other 31 NFL franchises.
With the league he once ruled turning its back, Chapel Bill jumped to college football at North Carolina in 2025 where his Tar Heels turned in a disastrous 4-8 season.
Then there’s Belichick’s tabloid romance with 24-year-old girlfriend/manager Jordon Hudson. The romance was cute at first. Hey, it’s a free country and they’re both adults. But when Hudson aggressively took over a CBS News interview, while Belichick passively looked on, he came off like an old fool. Gone was the disciplined leader of men who could strike fear into the toughest players. Instead, the new narrative was that Belichick was a whipped has-been, being led by the nose by a woman 50 years his junior.
But what a difference a few days makes. Over the past two days, NFL personalities have been praising Belichick’s coaching prowess, his love of the NFL, his vital place in the league’s history, even his respect for the Hall itself.
Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson took to X/Twitter to call Belichick the “greatest of all time.” The ex-Cowboys coach doesn’t want to hear about Spygate either. Other teams tried the same subterfuge, he noted. “I would like to know the names of the assholes who did not vote for him… they are too cowardly to identify themselves,” tweeted Johnson.
While he’s obviously a Pats homer, Ringer founder Bill Simmons’ keyboard was dripping with venom for Polian, whose story keeps changing.
“Honestly? It was worth Belichick waiting a year for Bill Polian to be properly commemorated as a petty, whiny, not-honest, hypocritical, self-serving, score-settling dickhead,” tweeted Simmons. “He’s already given out two versions of his vote when we all know the truth. I’m glad this happened.”
Image expert Ernest Lupinacci, who wrote Nike’s “Lombardi” ad campaign, tells FOS that the real winner here is Super Bowl LX halftime performer Bad Bunny.
While everybody’s agonizing over the Belichick snub, there will be less talk about whether the Puerto Rican superstar will wear a dress or protest ICE shootings in Minneapolis.
As for the taciturn Belichick, Lupinacci doesn’t think this positive press bump will last long. The high-handed coach ticked off too many league rivals and scorned too many media members. The cynical Madison Avenue veteran also questions whether some of this week’s paeans to Belichick’s genius are genuine—or posturing.
“If Belichick was an officer in Vietnam, his troops would have shot him in the back,” says Lupinacci.
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