Roger Goodell Gives Two Cents On Bill Belichick’s Hall Of Fame Snubbing

As the New England Patriots prepare for the Super Bowl, news of their legendary coach, Bill Belichick, being snubbed from the Hall of Fame has been a hot topic.

This year was Belichick’s first year on the ballot, and he reportedly fell one vote shy of being voted in. As the NFL faces backlash for the decision, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell finally spoke on one of the game’s best coaches being left out, and the league’s involvement.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame is not in any way controlled by the NFL. We have no say in the voting process,” Goodell said on Monday night. “We don’t participate in the voting process. I want to make sure that the question doesn’t lead people to that conclusion.

“I think it’s really an important honor and it’s something that should be done with a lot of clarity, a lot of understanding of what’s expected of those voters. I’m not even sure I’m aware of it. I’ve never been part of that process. Our board does nothing more in the voting than to approve the leaders of the media that participate in it, and it’s a single vote. We are not involved in it”

Goodell made sure to clear the league office of any involvement. The league office does not influence the committee of voters, and Goodell confirmed that any outrage should be directed at the voters, not the league.

Belichick has won eight Super Bowls in total, six as head coach of the Patriots and two as an assistant with the New York Giants. He ranks first in NFL history among head coaches in Super Bowls, playoff wins and conference championships. He is a three-time Coach of the Year as well.

Belichick is third all-time in regular season wins and second in total wins. While most think he will get into the Hall of Fame soon, the committee reportedly felt he deserved to wait a year.

“Multiple sources told ESPN that Spygate and Deflategate, the twin cheating scandals during the Patriots’ championship run, came up in deliberations among voters,” ESPN wrote on Jan. 27. “A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts — a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty — told some voters he believed Belichick should ‘wait a year’ before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick. Commissioner Roger Goodell also fined the Patriots $500,000 and fined Belichick $250,000.”

The decision has brought into question the validity of the Hall of Fame by many and has brought scrutiny to the voting process.