Bill Belichick will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday as arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, stamped by him leading the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories. But the decision of Canton voters to snub his entry during his first year of eligibility shouldn't be all that shocking.
It's also not all that difficult to figure out why. Here's three reasons why it was right to make Belichick wait his turn for the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Bill Belichick has a couple of Patriots' scandals that can't be forgotten
Whatever you think about Spygate and Deflategate, the narratives of New England circumventing rules still exist in the minds of many. Although "Belicheat" references might be a distant memory, they are enough blemishes to not give him the highest of post-career exaltations.
Bill Belichick also may not be done coaching in the NFL
It's been only two seasons since Belichick's tenure with the Patriots ended, with the disastrous Jerod Mayo year replaced by the Super turnaround year from true successor Mike Vrabel. He is 73, but keep in mind that age didn't prevent Pete Carroll from trying to coach well in the NFL again with the Raiders.
Carroll was one-and-done, but that may not stop a team from convincing him to return soon given the excessive rate of head-coaching turnover in the league. The North Carolina experiment started with a rough 4-8 experience in Belichick's first season. He may not be long for the Tar Heels. As a historian of the pro game, there's another reason Belichick may want another couple years in the NFL.
Belichick is only 15 combined regular season and playoff wins away from passing the legendary late Don Shula with 348 total NFL victories, which would be the most all-time. Voters may also considered that Belichick hasn't closed the book on the league yet.
Bill Belichick's recent personal life drama had to skew some voters
Belichick's relationship with girlfriend Jordon Hudson, 24, should be no one's business and should not continue to creep into any personal opinion of what he accomplished at the highest level on the NFL sidelines. But the voters are human and until the logic of AI determines who gets into all sports Hall of Fames based on surefire algorithm with all the right parameters, there will be mistakes made.
That seems judgmental, but then again, putting someone in the Hall, first ballot or not, is well, a judgment call. Belichick can be still recognized as an all-time great, even with a little wait.