Legendary QB defends his coach after voting committee denies first-ballot induction to six-time Super Bowl winner
Tom Brady isn’t mincing words. The legendary quarterback called Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub “completely ridiculous” during an interview Wednesday, one day after the voting committee denied the greatest coach of the modern era first-ballot induction. Brady, who spent 20 seasons playing under Belichick in New England, couldn’t contain his frustration with a voting process that apparently decided a coach with 333 wins and six Super Bowl championships isn’t hall of fame material on his first try.
“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “I mean, I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.”
That’s the most pointed assessment Brady could possibly make. He’s not just defending Belichick. He’s suggesting that if Belichick doesn’t make it first-ballot, the entire Hall of Fame voting system is fundamentally broken. That’s a statement from someone who was in the trenches with Belichick every single day for two decades.
Brady went further. When asked who he’d pick to win a Super Bowl with one season to prepare, he didn’t hesitate: “If I’m picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl — give me one season — I’m taking Bill Belichick. There’s no coach I’d rather play for.” That’s not nostalgia talking. That’s a player who’s competed at the highest level with multiple coaches giving the definitive answer: Belichick is the one.
The Brady-Belichick partnership produced six Super Bowl victories and nine conference championships. That’s not just success. That’s a dynasty. That’s the standard against which all other coach-player combinations are measured. And apparently, it’s still not enough for a voting committee that can’t seem to agree on what first-ballot Hall of Fame material actually looks like.
When the Hall’s voting process becomes the story
Brady’s frustration extends beyond just defending Belichick. He’s questioning the entire voting process. “When it comes down to votes and popularity and all that, then welcome to the world of voting,” Brady said. “You might as well try out for the Oscars and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. It’s the way that it works unfortunately.”
That’s a damning assessment of the Hall of Fame voting committee. Brady is suggesting that voting for the Hall has become more about politics and personality than accomplishment. That’s a serious indictment. And he’s not wrong voting committee members reportedly held Spygate and Deflategate against Belichick, suggesting personal scandals from 13-17 years ago should determine his eligibility today.
Brady is confident Belichick will eventually get in, but he’s also frustrated that it won’t happen on his first ballot. “He’s going to get into the Hall of Fame. In the end, I’m not worried about that,” Brady said. But that confidence doesn’t excuse what he sees as an obvious wrong that’s been committed.
The broader chorus of disbelief
Brady isn’t alone. Patriots owner Robert Kraft called Belichick “the greatest coach of all time” and said he “unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.” Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson shared his stunned reaction. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called the snub “insane.” Even voters themselves are questioning the decision, with Hall of Fame voter Armando Salguero urging those who voted against Belichick to identify themselves publicly.
Salguero wrote: “They should identify themselves as the people who kept Belichick out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.” That’s the level of outrage this decision is generating people are demanding transparency about who voted against one of football’s greatest minds.
When eventually getting in isn’t good enough
Brady’s final message was about the future. When Belichick eventually gets inducted and Brady clearly believes he will there will be a massive celebration. “He’s going to have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches that appreciated everything he did, the commitment he made to winning and the impact that he had on all our lives,” Brady said.
But that celebration will happen in his second ballot, not his first. And that’s what makes this snub so stunning not that Belichick won’t eventually get in, but that it took voting politics and old scandals to delay what should have been inevitable.
