One sports writer who voted against inducting former NFL coach Bill Belichick into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is now explaining publicly why he snubbed the one-time Patriots coach.
Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star published a column on Wednesday and admitted that he was one of the 11 HoF voters who did not vote in favor of Belichick’s bid for induction.
In his column, Gregorian noted that the past accusations of cheating that many have assumed likely led to Belichick being left out of the running were not the reason he voted against the coach.
Instead, Gregorian blamed his non-vote for Belichick on the way the ballot was set up, writing, “And if the curious selection dynamics now in place allowed for a simple up-down vote on Belichick, as a selector I absolutely would have voted for him this year. I believe he’d have assumed his much-deserved place in Canton in his first year of eligibility in 2026.”
“But, alas, that’s just not how the voting works. And that’s led to understandable puzzlement and furious assumptions in reaction to ESPN’s report Tuesday, citing four anonymous sources saying Belichick won’t be part of the Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 when it’s announced next week,” he added.
Gregorian said the ballot options left him “duty-bound” to vote for three other senior members he said deserved the honors: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood.
“All three have been long deserving of induction in the Hall,” he claimed. “All three have been, well, snubbed for decades.”
He added that Belichick will get in eventually, anyway. However, he was still surprised that it fell apart for him this time out, and he understands why the backlash rose so quickly when Belichick didn’t win over the voters on the first ballot.
“At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, [Belichick] shouldn’t even have to wait,” Gregorian wrote. “I understand why people are offended that he isn’t going in the first moment he can.”
He added, “I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.”
“But the so-called ‘cheating stuff’ is not at all the only possible explanation, because it certainly didn’t ultimately influence my vote,” he insisted, adding that he did not vote against Belichick; he just voted “for” the three senior candidates he chose.
Je concluded, saying, “In the end, though, I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.”
Many Bill Belichick fans and supporters have been calling for the voters to be exposed, and Gregorian has become the first to explain why he voted the way he did. It remains to be seen if any others will follow Gregorian’s lead.
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