The Hall of Fame's voting committee sent shock waves through the entire NFL ecosystem with one absolutely jarring decision. Bill Belichick — the former Cleveland Browns head coach — was officially passed over for first-ballot induction into the league's most exclusive club. While his tenure in Cleveland preceded his decades-long, legendary run in New England, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Belichick belongs in Canton and that he should've been a shoo-in on his first eligible ballot.
Belichick spent five years as the head man for the Browns from 1991–1995. A 6–10 debut season gave way to a pair of 7–9 campaigns. In 1994, Belichick coached the Browns to the playoffs and even picked up his first career postseason victory. As fate would have it, it was over the New England Patriots.
Nonetheless, it was fool's gold. The Browns sank back to 5–11 and Belichick was fired after the 1995 season. It's important to note that he was 39 years old when he got the head job, and his defensive coordinator for his entire tenure — Nick Saban — went on to reach legendary heights in his own right. The Browns had the right minds. It may have just been at the wrong time.
NFL legends (and even Browns fans) unite in anger over Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame drama
Belichick had to bide his time while another opportunity presented itself. He reunited with his mentor, Bill Parcells, as an assistant in New England for one year before a three-year run as defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. When he got the head coaching job in New England in 2000, he proceeded to run roughshod over the entire NFL for the next two-plus decades.
From 2000–2023, Belichick won the AFC East division a whopping 17 times. His Patriots appeared in 13 AFC Championship games, winning nine of them. Not to be outdone, they won six Super Bowls, an absurd feat that dwarfs the accomplishments of any other franchise in the time period. All told, Belichick's 302 regular season wins rank third all-time, while his 31 playoff victories are the most in NFL history. This doesn't even take into account his accomplishments as an assistant, where he's notched two more Super Bowl victories as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator.
When he was unceremoniously fired after that historic run in New England, few doubted that as soon as Belichick was eligible he'd be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The voters' mind-boggling decision has caught the ire of NFL legends all around the globe, from Tom Brady to Patrick Mahomes.
Even the father of Browns' quarterback Shedeur Sanders' had something to say.
The Disrespect to Coach Belichick is straight out IGNORANT! He’s arguably the BEST NFL COACH TO EVER COACH THE GAME! How quickly we forget the impact Coach Belichick made on all of us! @nfl WOW! #CoachPrime
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 28, 2026
I kid, I kid. Of course, we all know Shedeur's dad is NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, a man whose exploits on the grand stage need no introduction. It was Deion, in fact, who lobbied for an "upper room" of the Hall of Fame for the game's most legendary players. Judging by his reaction, it seems pretty obvious that Sanders believes Belichick's bust would be alongside his in this hypothetical location.
While many have a hard time agreeing with Deion's brash nature from time to time, he's totally in the right here. Call it what you want — ego, hubris, what have you — but the voters who boarded their high horse to exclude one of the game's greatest coaches from the ultimate NFL honor should be ashamed of themselves.
Belichick's approach to the media shouldn't have even been a consideration. The Hall is for those who accomplished greatness on the field. The fact that he may have rubbed some the wrong way is immaterial to the indisputable — Bill Belichick is one of the few with an ironclad case for first-ballot induction to the Hall of Fame. Just like his QB for much of his tenure.
What they accomplished in New England isn't likely to be replicated, and Deion Sanders is absolutely right. It is incredibly ignorant, and frankly, it hasn't been nearly long enough for anyone to conveniently forget Belichick's accomplishments. If there was ever a case of the Hall of Fame stepping in to correct an egregious error, this would be it.
Count Sanders among those who would like to see Belichick enshrined asap.